Insult to Injury
by Caribou Kid
Summary: Admiral Nelson has NIMR personnel working up on the International Space Station when disaster strikes threatening the entire crew's lives. Will he and his NIMR staff on Earth be able to mount a rescue mission before time runs out?
1. Chapter 1

A huge shout out and thanks to my Beta squad. Thank you for keeping me on track and grammatically correct.

 **Insult to Injury**

 **By Caribou Kid**

Dr. Kendal Ferguson stared wistfully out the porthole down at the big blue marble that was Earth as it passed beneath them as the International Space Station (ISS) orbited roughly 250 miles above. She had been aboard nearly six months now and would be rotating back in another few weeks. As the head of the NIMR astrophysics department, she had been offered the opportunity to go into space to help develop a space-based ocean mapping program and satellite system to help them to further explore the ocean depths with greater clarity than currently possible, with an eye towards possible applications in exploring planets with denser atmospheres in more detail. Despite the excellent progress she had made with the system, this stay couldn't be over fast enough.

Aside from the weightlessness and the less than exciting cuisine, she found life on the Space Station not that dissimilar from life on the NIMR research submarine Seaview. She sighed wishing her tour was up, not because she was bored or claustrophobic, but she longed to be back with her staff and friends at NIMR, especially a certain captain that had captured her interests and her heart. Kendal smiled and she was sure blushed as she thought about their last evening together and the promised encore upon her return, as he saw her off at the airport.

As she continued to stare out the window her attention was caught by a flash of light, like sun reflecting off metal. It was brief and not repeated. She quickly moved to the monitor to see if they were somewhere near one of the myriad of satellites orbiting the planet. Her sudden activity was noticed by the mission commander Captain Katarina Medrev from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

"Something the matter, Kendal?"

"Probably not, but I thought I saw something out the porthole. I was just checking to see if we were anywhere near an orbiting satellite."

"What did you see?" Medrev asked, immediately concerned about any uncharted items of debris in their proximity. Collision with a bit of space detritus could have serious implications on the station.

"I spotted a flash of light, like sun glinting off metal," Kendal responded as she continued to scan the screen for the trajectories of the satellites in their vicinity. "According to this there isn't anything that should be sharing our space. I suppose it could be leftover debris from past space shots."

Katarina moved over to the radar screen and began looking for any sign of what Kendal had seen. "The scope looks clear," she reported. "Maybe you caught sight of an ice ball or something similar."

"Could be, or maybe there are little green men checking us out," Kendal answered with a wry smile and a chuckle, knowing it could actually be the case given her experiences since joining NIMR and sailing aboard Seaview.

Medrev laughed. "Hopefully they call before they pop in, we definitely need to tidy up."

They both continued to scan the scopes just to make sure nothing was out there to cause a problem. They were joined a couple minutes later by Agneta Bergdahl, a mission specialist from Norway and the third member of the crew. "What's up?" she asked as she observed her crewmates rapt attention to the monitor screens.

"Kendal thinks she spotted a ship full of little green men checking us out," Katarina joked as she continued to peruse her radar screen.

Kendal laughed and stuck her tongue out at her. "I thought I saw something outside and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something there to run in to."

"Anything there?" Neta inquired, her curiosity now definitely piqued, as she moved in behind Kendal to look over her shoulder.

"Not that I can find," Kendal answered.

"Noth…What the hell?" Medrev said. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"What?" the other two asked.

Before Medrev could answer something slammed hard into the aft section of the Space Station sending the vehicle hurtling out of control through space. The occupants were caught completely off guard and were flung into the bulkheads as the station cartwheeled precariously through the vacuum.

(00l00)

The phone's loud report shattered the play of a very pleasant dream. He was nearing the place where the point of the whole thing would become clear, but as the jangling sound of reality dispelled the miasma of whimsy, Harriman Nelson groaned in both disappointment and disgust. He rolled over and eyed the clock noting it registered 0236. He immediately felt a large knot form in his stomach, except for very few occasions, good news rarely arrived at that hour.

He quickly reminded himself of where his son, his sister, and the rest of his crew and vessels were. All should be safely tucked away in their own beds at this hour. He reached over, picked up the phone and read the caller ID; NASA. "Who in the hell would be calling me from NASA at this time of night?" Harri wondered aloud. "Well, only one way to find out," he continued and slid his thumb across the screen and answered the call.

"Nelson," he said gruffly, as he worked to wake himself up.

"Harri, Grant Majors, here in Houston. Sorry for the early call, but I wanted you to hear this from me and not from the television," the tired voice at the other end of the line began.

"Grant? What do you want to tell me, what's happened?" Harri inquired suddenly fully alert.

"Harri, there's been an incident up on the International Space Station. There was a collision between what most likely was a small meteorite or other space debris and the station."

Harri sat bolt upright. Nearly six months ago he had sent Dr. Kendal Ferguson, the head of his new astrophysics department, up to the station as part of a research program she and her staff had developed. In the relatively short time she had been with NIMR, he had grown very fond of her, and she and Lee had developed a very close relationship, one that he privately hoped would one day result in happily ever after for them both.

"Is Kendal all right? Have there been any injuries? What's the situation? Have you mobilized a rescue effort yet?" Harri blurted out.

"Yes, unfortunately there have been injuries, but thankfully no fatalities. Dr. Ferguson is fine, in fact she has pretty much taken over command since the mission commander is the one most seriously injured. I must admit, I'm impressed with the way she has taken this all pretty much in stride; nothing seems to really ruffle her feathers," Majors reported.

"That's good to hear," Harri answered, relieved to know she was unhurt. "She quite literally went to hell and back on our first mission to the Aleutians* to discover the cause of all the seismic activity a year or so ago. So, what about the rest of my questions?"

"As to the situation, it is extremely dire. The impact damaged the majority of the air tanks so they will be out of oxygen within three days. It also managed to tear a huge hole in their Soyuz return capsule rendering it inoperative. Other than that, the rest of the life support systems are operational and keeping them warm, along with communications. That's only a hallow victory because it is doubtful that we'll be able to get a rescue ship up to them before their air runs out. I'm afraid odds are they will all suffocate."

"You've checked with the other nations with space capabilities, I assume," Harri inquired, knowing those were probably the first calls made.

"Yes, and nobody can get anything prepped and airborne in under 5 days, us included," Grant replied dejectedly.

"Damn," Harri swore quietly, then closed his eyes.

"Harri, I just wanted to let you know we've mobilized what assets we have, as have the Russians, just on the off chance they can hold out and we can get something up there in time. I'm sorry for being the bearer of such bad news."

Nelson sat quietly, his mind racing working through every possible scenario that he could conceive of to assist in the astronaut's rescue. Each option lead quickly to an abrupt stop. And then he hit on one that might just work, it would be a long shot and put the pilots at risk if his guess was wrong, but it would be worth a shot.

"Harri, you still there?" Grant asked.

"Grant, I think I may have an option that could get to the ISS before time runs out," Harri replied, his mind whirling frantically as he worked through what needed to be done to give him a final answer.

"What, Harri? What have you got?" Majors inquired, excited at any prospect of retrieving those on the station.

"I need to run a few calculations and run a test to verify my theory, but I think we could send FS-1 up to the station to collect the astronauts. How many people are currently aboard there?"

"Your flying sub?! You can't be serious?" Majors replied.

"I'm completely serious, Grant. Structurally she's designed for the stresses of the deep sea, her environmental support systems are likewise designed to completely support life internally like the space station, plus she has the engines and flight control systems that have the capability to propel the ship into space and maneuver about," Harri began. "Her power source is nuclear so we don't have to mess with booster rockets and the requisite fuels. The only question is her ability to withstand the heat of reentry, but thanks to some of the conditions we've encountered in our deeper dives, I have modified her outside skin with a heat resistant coating that should do the trick. So how many people are up there?"

"There are three right now, we were working on a big rotation and resupply, so the last mission brought people back without changing out crew. You really think you could pull this off?"

"I think we have a good chance. The one test I need to run is on the heat shield to determine if it can withstand the heat and stress it would encounter upon reentry. Both Crane and Morton have had the astronaut training so they would be capable of taking her up, docking with the station, and returning with the crew," Harri answered.

"You think they would do it?"

"My struggle would be to keep them from going, if they realize FS-1 could make the trip before I offer them the chance," Harri replied with a slight chuckle.

"How soon will you know?" Grant asked, unable to contain his hope and enthusiasm.

Harri mulled over the question for nearly a minute. "I think we would have all our answers within 36 hours and if the results come back as I expect, we could launch in 60. Given the small size of our craft and the maneuverability, we could be at the Space Station within 8 hours of launch."

"My god, that's fantastic!" Majors exclaimed. "What can we do to help?"

"I will need information on your orbital trajectories, the docking configuration of the Space Station, and anything else you think will be of value in making our attempt."

"You've got it. I'll get my people on collecting the information and will have it sent over ASAP."

"Grant, regardless of whether we find this is a go or not, I would also like to speak with Kendal," Harri responded.

"Of course, Harri, that's a given. We will be giving everyone the opportunity to speak with their family and friends," Majors answered solemnly.

"One other thing, you indicated that there are injuries, I would like to pull my CMO in on this to confer with your Flight Surgeon so we can provide any emergency care once we have them on board and are heading home."

"Good idea. According to Kendal, they've treated the mission commander as best they can, but her injuries are significant and may be life threatening at this time. The other specialist aboard has minor injuries as well."

"Well, I think we've got our sailing orders for the moment. I'll get my people mobilized and will give you a call back after I've talked with my staff, say 0500 my time so we can update each other on our status. Will that work for you?" Harri said as he climbed out of bed ready to make things happen.

"Perfect. Thanks, Harri, you're a lifesaver quite literally," Grant answered, relief very evident in his voice.

"Don't count the chickens just yet, Grant, there's still a lot of work to do before we'll know if this is a go. I'd keep this internal until we're in a better position to verify my hunch. Talk with you soon."

"Hey it's a lot better than where I started a few minutes ago. You've given me some serious hope. Talk to you at 0500. Bye."

(00l00)

Harri quickly grabbed his bathrobe and headed downstairs to start a pot of coffee. Having completed that he next dialed Lee Crane, captain of his submarine Seaview and adopted son. The phone rang once.

"Crane," the voice said on the other end, sounding as though he had not just been pulled from sleep.

"Lee, it's Nelson."

"Morning, sir. What's wrong?"

Harri shook his head in amusement at Lee's immediate assessment of the situation without hearing more than his voice. "I just got a call from Grant Majors over at NASA and there's been an incident up on the Space Station. Before you get too upset, Kendal is uninjured but the situation is not good according to Majors. The station was hit by something that took out the majority of their oxygen supply, severely damaged their return spacecraft, and critically injured the mission commander," Harri relayed.

"Damn," Lee replied quietly.

"Grant said they estimate there is enough oxygen for three days on the station, but the bad news is no one can get a rocket up there in less than five. I think we may have a way to get there within that three-day timeframe, so I've offered our assistance," Nelson continued.

Lee remained quiet for a moment as he worked through what assistance NIMR might be able to provide. "Are you thinking of using FS-1 to try and access the Space Station?"

Harri smiled, not the least bit surprised Lee got it in one. "Yes. I think that FS-1 is quite capable of going into space, and then making a safe reentry once we've recovered the astronauts. I told Grant that we need to run through a few equations and conduct a test of the heat shield on FS-1 before I can give him a definite on the rescue."

"Great idea, Harri. How many people do we need to bring back?"

"There are three of them up there. I think that FS-1 can safely make the journey and rendezvous with the Space Station in under 60 hours."

"Sounds doable. I'll get on the horn to Chip, Jamieson, Sharkey, O'Brien, and Kendal's staff. Do you want to meet in your office or at the lab?" Lee inquired, already fully engaged in his mission planning.

Harri smiled at Lee's response, recognizing he had already shifted into overdrive and probably had the entire mission already plotted out. "Have everyone meet at my office. Also get Janet King in Engineering. We should already be receiving information on the Space Station so we can address issues of trajectory, docking, and the medical condition of those aboard. Have everyone there within the hour."

"Aye, sir," Lee answered, the concern he felt for Kendal very evident in those two words.

"Lee, Majors said Kendal is doing fine and has stepped up taking control of the situation. We're going to do everything we can to get her, to get them all back safely. Don't worry, son."

"If it can be done, I know you'll find the way, Harri. I'll start making calls now and see you at the office shortly."

As the line went dead, Harri sighed deeply hoping to hell he could live up to the confidence Lee placed in him. He was fairly certain that the heat shield would be robust enough to allow them to go up to the Space Station and return, but if he was wrong it would spell disaster for those in space and especially his men rushing to their rescue. The loss of any of his people would devastate him, but none more so than Lee.

He sipped quietly on his cup of coffee as he mentally worked through what he wanted to accomplish in the lab. The specter of guessing wrong gnawed incessantly at the back of his mind, working hard to eat away at his confidence. Was he willing to risk Lee's and Chip's lives on a hunch? Shelving his self-doubt, Harri pushed up from his seat at the table and headed back up the stairs to get dressed and to get started on saving his people.

(00l00)

* Devil at the Door


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The quiet chirp from the control panel signaled and incoming transmission from Mission Control back on Earth. Kendal floated over to the panel and toggled the switch. "Space Station, go ahead NASA."

"Kendal, Grant Majors here. I think we may have some good news for you. I've been in contact with Harriman Nelson at NIMR, and he seems to think they may be able to reach you using his flying sub."

Kendal blew out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer to the Fates for sending her to NIMR and Nelson. She knew they stood a fighting chance now of making it out of this alive. Harri and Lee would go to the ends of the Earth, or in this case the heavens, to find them a way home.

"Hello? Kendal, did you read me?" Majors asked, concerned they had lost comms since he'd heard no response in some time.

"Yes," Kendal responded and laughed. "I heard you, Grant. It was such a pleasant shock that I had to recover there for a moment. That is fantastic news! Do you have an ETA for their arrival?"

"We aren't quite that far along, yet. Nelson indicated that he needed to run a couple of tests on the heat shield on FS-1 to ensure that it is up to the temperatures encountered on reentry. If all is a go, he thought that they would be knocking at the door in under 60 hours," Majors replied. "We've sent over schematics on the station, along with trajectory information to help them with their mission planning. They also need to figure out if they'll be able to dock with you, or if some other means of transfer like a spacewalk might be required."

"You've just made my day," Kendal responded as a huge smile spread across her face.

"So, what is your current situation?"

"Pretty much what is was last time we spoke. Captain Medrev is still unconscious, but she seems to have stabilized more. Agneta is currently sleeping, I splinted her arm and gave her a pain pill to help deal with the ache. Oxygen levels are dropping, but in line with our calculations, and we are keeping activity levels to a minimum, all the other environmental control systems are still fully functional, so no problems there."

"That's good to hear. We will be setting up radio comms with your families and friends within the next few hours. In addition to that, Nelson has requested to speak with you to get a direct report on the situation," Majors reported.

"Roger that. We're available any time," Kendal replied. She was definitely looking forward to talking with both Harri and Lee.

"Hang in there, Kendal, I think we both know we have the best possible teams working the problem, and I have a lot of faith in Nelson. Relax and if you need anything give a call. Be talking with you later," Majors stated, then gave her a quick salute and terminated the call.

Kendal flipped off the monitor then navigated down the narrow passageway to the sleeping quarters to check on Katarina. She had slammed head first into the main control panel, then cartwheeled unconsciously out of control across the room colliding with every surface there. She had a severe concussion, a broken forearm, facial lacerations, and badly bruised ribs.

It had taken some time between Agneta and Kendal to gain control of the Space Station and return it to an even, controlled flight path. The continued venting from the damaged oxygen cylinders made it difficult to compensate using the thrusters, and that only became possible when most of the gas had escaped.

Kendal quickly checked Medrev's vitals and found them more stable, but still below where they should be. The bruising and swelling on her face was becoming quite spectacular and she was getting concerned that it could possibly cause problems with her breathing. She readjusted her sleeping bag and then returned to the Control Room where she stared silently out the window trying to control her warring feelings of optimistic hope, and crippling dread at their chances of rescue.

As she regarded the endless dark outside the windows, a bit of motion caught her attention and once again she spotted what looked like sunlight winking off metal. She quickly toggled the forward camera and tightened in the focus on the blip. As the object began to resolve, she drew in a quick breath startled at the image of a spaceship. She hit the record button and was able to capture a few seconds of footage before it slipped back into the shadows.

Contemplating the vessel, she had just seen, dread took the edge in the war of emotions she was fighting inside. She needed desperately to speak with Harri and Lee to let them know what she had seen and to get their take on the situation. The ship seemed rather clunky and archaic, something like first or second-generation spacecraft utilized by the US and Russia during the height of the space race. She somehow knew that the origin was from Earth, and not some alien race bent on taking over the planet or just checking out the neighborhood.

Steeling her resolve she tamped down her fear and concern, at least until she had a chance to talk with NIMR. She began mentally composing her brief with Harri, so that she would have all the salient facts and suppositions ready to be presented, once she had them on the line. She also began conducting a detailed review of all the gauges and monitors, compiling that information as well.

(00l00)

Nelson strode purposefully into his office, and was pleased to find that everyone had responded to the captain's summons to meet within the hour. As he entered, they all rose and watched him move to the front of the room. He easily read their concern for Kendal and the others on the Space Station, along with a real belief in their abilities to find a way to rescue them before their air ran out.

"Be seated," Harri said. "Thank you for assembling so quickly. As I'm sure Captain Crane has already briefed you, we have a situation up on the Space Station. Something collided with the station destroying nearly all of their oxygen storage tanks, and resulting in injuries to the mission commander and one of the mission specialists. Kendall is uninjured at last report. Based on my initial conversation with Grant Majors at NASA, they have roughly 72 hours of breathable air left, and none of the nations with space programs are able to get mobilized and get a rescue vehicle to the station in under five days. I think we have the ability to provide that rescue vehicle using FS-1."

There was a quick murmur from the assembled scientists and crew as they considered the admiral's solution. "Given the work we've been doing in the deeper regions of the ocean near the volcanic vents, we applied a very robust heat shield to FS-1, which I think has the ability to withstand the temperatures that would be encountered during reentry. I've already talked with Captain Crane and he has agreed to pilot the craft and…"

"And I have whole heartedly agreed to co-pilot with him," Chip Morton interjected.

Nelson gave him a thankful nod acknowledging his willingness to participate in the rescue given the risks and number of uncertainties they currently faced.

"So, what we need to do now is determine if the heat shield is capable of withstanding the temperatures that will be encountered during reentry, obtain trajectory information and determine the best course to the station, work out the math for reentry parameters for FS-1, get a better idea of what is around the Space Station, determine if FS-1 is capable of docking with the station, or if we have to come up with some other means to bring the personnel aboard, determine if we have suits that will work in space, and add any medical supplies necessary to help the injured before their return to a hospital and physicians. Simple," Harri elaborated. "Any questions?"

"How many people are up there, and how many crew are we sending?" Jamieson inquired.

"There are just three on the station right now. I had only envisioned sending the flight crew to collect the crew on board," Harri answered.

"If there's room, I would like to go along. Immediate medical treatment might be required to save the lives of the injured," Jamieson replied.

"When we make contact with the Space Station, you can talk with Kendal to determine if that kind of assistance is necessary. If the injuries aren't life threatening, I would prefer to send the fewest people I can for obvious reasons."

Will nodded his understanding. "Understood. But if in talking with Kendal there's even a question about the injured making it back alive without medical treatment, my offer stands."

"Thank you, Will. I appreciate that very much," Nelson responded. There was a sea of nodding heads as all present recognized his desire to help.

"Okay, here's how I want things to move. Patrick, you and your staff start working on the trajectory, payload tables, re-entry computations, and survey of the surrounding area. Janet, you and the engineering staff conduct heat tests on the coating applied to FS-1. If it can't withstand 2900o F we need to know that right away, because it makes everything else moot. Also, you need to get in touch with NASA on suit requirements. We'll also be looking at bolstering safety gear like restraint harnesses for the seats, and for the bunk so everyone gets back in one piece."

The assembled teams chatted quietly amongst themselves as they considered the challenges they had been presented. After a few minutes Nelson redirected their attention to him. "Is everyone clear on what needs to be done? Does anyone have questions right now?" Everyone shook their head no indicating that for the moment, they had what they needed to start work.

"Good. I want team leads to provide me a status briefing on your progress in 8 hours. Jamie, if you will stay with me and the command crew, we'll be making contact with the Space Station right after this meeting. Once we've spoken with the Space Station and NASA, I'll ensure you receive an update and any special considerations they have identified. Go ahead and start your planning, and if you have any specific information needs, let me or Lee know and we'll get you the proper contact," Nelson ordered. They all quickly dispersed already deeply engaged in discussing their assigned tasks and respective courses of action.

Once the other teams had departed, Nelson gestured for Crane, Morton, and Jamieson to take a seat around the conference table. They moved quietly to the table, taking a seat as each man mentally worked on what he needed to accomplish, and the fate of those on the station if they failed.

"Angie, get me Grant Majors on the vidphone," Nelson ordered as she headed out of his office.

"Right away, Admiral," she replied and quickly snatched up the phone receiver and began dialing.

Nelson headed for the credenza, grabbed the coffee carafe and four cups and walked over to the conference table. He quickly filled the cups and doled them out to the men seated around the table. As they took their first sip, the intercom on the conference table buzzed.

"Yes, Angie?" Nelson answered.

"Your call has gone through, you just need to activate the screen and you're good to go."

"Thank you. Also, I don't want to be disturbed unless it's an emergency," Harri replied.

"Yes, sir."

Harri reached forward and toggled the switch powering up the video monitor at the far end of the table. The picture quickly resolved into a split screen showing Grant Majors from NASA and Kendal Ferguson up on the Space Station.

"Morning Grant, Kendal, good to see you," Harri said.

"Morning Admiral," both Grant and Kendal responded.

"Grant, I've got my command crew Captain Lee Crane and his XO Chip Morton, along with my CMO Will Jamieson," Harri started, quickly making introductions.

"Gentlemen," Grant acknowledged. "For right now, it's just me and Kendal on the line, at Kendal's request." The four men at NIMR nodded and immediately felt an increased level of concern.

"How's it going, Kendal?" Harri asked and smiled slightly, glad to see that she was uninjured from the earlier collision.

"Oh, we're hanging in here for the moment. Given earlier missions with you Admiral, I'd say the situation would almost qualify as normal," Kendal answered, which drew an embarrassed chuckle from NIMR. Grant cast a quizzical look at the screen wondering what their previous missions entailed to make the current situation ' _almost qualify as normal_ '.

Harri quickly read Grants expression and chuckled more. "Inside joke, Grant. I'll fill you in later after this is successfully resolved. So, can you give us a status brief, Kendal?"

"Yes, Admrial, I'm sure Grant has given you the basics. We're still bleeding oxygen with an estimated volume sufficient for a little less than three day's life support. There's also a gaping hole in the Soyuz capsule making it useless. All other systems are currently operational so the lights are on, the heat works, and we have comms. Both of my crewmates have been injured. Captain Medrev is unconscious due to a head injury, along with a couple of broken bones and severe bruising on her face. Her pupils are reactive, but the left is dilatated, her vitals have evened out for now. Agneta suffered a broken radius and ulna on her left arm. I've got the injury immobilized and splinted, gave her a couple of pain pills and she is currently sleeping. I'm just a bundle of nerves and anxious to hear when you plan to come pick us up," Kendal responded.

"We're working the issues right now," Harri answered. "All the teams have turned to and are evaluating where we are, and what needs to be done to get FS-1 in space and knocking at the door. I think we'll have a definitive answer on if we can pull this off in 12 hours."

"That's excellent," Grant interjected. "What do you see as your biggest question?"

"Our biggest concern is the heat shield on FS-1; if that isn't capable of withstanding the anticipated reentry temperatures, then this is all for naught. To my credit though, I way over engineered the coating just to be on the safe side," Nelson answered.

They all smiled and nodded their appreciation of Nelson's foresight.

"So, Kendal, why did you request this transmission be kept private?" Lee asked, his sixth sense telling him there was more at play than a simple collision with space debris.

Kendal looked off camera towards the sleeping area to determine if Agneta was still out. She returned her gaze to the camera, bit her lip then drew in a deep breath. "I think we were deliberately attacked. Before the impact, I spotted a flash of light off in the distance and seconds later something slammed into us. Then after I finished talking to Grant, I saw the flash again and this time was able to make out what looked like a space ship. Not the true UFO variety, but something that looked like almost first-generation space capsules from the old Apollo and Soyuz days. I even managed to get video of it."

Those on Earth sat back stunned at Kendal's revelation. Why the hell would someone want to attack the Space Station, and more importantly, who had the capability to launch a ship into space.

"You're sure?" Grant finally asked.

"Yes, very much so. I'll play the video for you now." The screen flickered briefly and moments later they saw the flash Kendal mentioned, then as the object moved out of the glare of the sun, it resolved into a space capsule. There were no obvious markings of origin, which made sense, and little else that would identify who had launched the craft.

"Damn, just what we needed, space pirates," Chip said quietly as he ground his teeth.

"Who are our suspects?" Lee inquired, fairly certain of the answer himself.

"There are a number of nations that have space shot capability used for launching space probes or satellites, so it won't be easy to nail it down," Majors replied. "I can't see the Russians taking a shot at the station, or any of the European nations. That would leave China, North Korea, and the PR, or possibly some private organization."

"I know who has my vote," Chip interjected.

"The one thing to note is that the damage was very specific, hitting the one component of the station that is absolutely necessary to maintain personnel on the vessel. With the oxygen removed, the personnel would either suffocate or evacuate ISS, leaving the station uninhabited, and open to looting once prying eyes were removed," Lee added. "I'm guessing damage to the capsule was probably collateral damage and not planned. Based on my understanding, the crew is supposed to be able to get aboard the capsule within three minutes, then disconnect and be back on Earth within 3 and half hours. Having you all alive and now stranded on ISS has set back their timetable."

Both Kendal and Grant nodded confirming Lee's observations regarding the attack and facts about ISS operations. Everyone exchanged looks as they pondered what had been said.

"That now begs the question as to motive," Nelson replied. "What is going on up there that would be worth the cost and the risk of going after it?"

Grant shifted uncomfortably in his chair and glanced away from the camera as though listening to someone else in the room. After a moment, he returned his focus to the camera.

"What the hell is going on up there, Grant?!" Nelson inquired testily.

"There are certain research projects that have applications towards national defense, and I'm sure the Russians, Norwegians, and other partners have projects of their own they would like to keep secure. We may need you to bring some 'cargo' back with you when you depart the Space Station, in the off chance there's yet another capsule out there," Majors answered defensively. "You're surely not that naïve to think research is limited purely to climate change and space exploration."

Harri and the rest of his staff glowered back at the image of Majors. Given the fact most of the Space Station operations were funded by the military elements of the various governments that dispatched astronauts to the station, it really wasn't much of a surprise.

"So now we have a potential motive and a couple of suspects, what now?" Will asked.

"We go forward with our preparations and hope that we have the vehicle that will get us there and back safely," Nelson answered.

"Right," Grant said. "I need to get in touch with the other representatives and share what Kendal has provided. I don't think that will change anything, but it may produce some more options. I'll also get our tracking teams looking at launches within the last week or so, that could give us at least a point of origin for that capsule. Harri, contact me as soon as you know whether you'll be able to fly."

"Will do, Grant. You'll of course keep us apprised on developments at your end as well," Harri stated, letting Majors know he expected full disclosure so they knew what to expect once they had aircraft and people in the air.

"Of course, Harri. Kendal, I'll give you a few moments to talk with NIMR privately. Is there someone from your family you would like to speak with?" Majors replied.

"No, there's no one I really need to talk to. I fully expect the NIMR guys to be knocking on the door shortly to escort us home," Kendal said confidently.

"Very well then, I'll sign off. Talk with you later, Majors out."

(00l00)

Once Majors' image faded from the screen and it was down to a two-way communication, Kendal blew out a huge breath of air and sagged just a bit, tired of putting on the brave front. The men in Harri's office each gave her a supportive and understanding smile, knowing all too well what she must be feeling.

"How are you really doing, Kendal?" Harri asked.

She shot him a quick smile. "I'd be doing a lot better if I was sitting in the nose of Seaview watching the fish go by," she quipped. "I'm hanging in there. It's rather nerve racking just sitting here knowing we have no control over our fate while we wait to find out if rescue is even possible. I've got so much nervous energy built up, I'd be doing laps around Lee on his walk-a-boat."

"Keep the faith, Kendal, I'm sure everything will work out. As I said everyone here is busting their butts to answer all the questions we have about getting up there and back safely in one piece," Harri reassured her. "You're sure there isn't anyone else here on Earth that you would like to talk to, before we get too caught up in all the preparations for rescue?"

"Not really. I'm not that close to what's left of my family, and you all have stepped in to fill that void. From what I've seen, seems to be a pattern with you folks."

"Kendal, how are you feeling?" Jamie interjected. "When was the last time you had anything to eat or got some sleep?"

"To quote a certain captain I know, I'm fine. My training on Seaview had me ready for the unexpected shift in the station so I didn't rack up any injuries beyond a couple of bruises, and right now food and rest are the last things I'm interested in."

"Good to hear you're uninjured, but you still need to keep your strength up and get some rest."

"I'll try and get some rest when Agneta wakes up and can take over the watch. She should be more than able to take on those duties," Kendal replied.

"That's good to hear," Harri cut in. "Come on gents, let's step out and let Lee and Kendal have a moment in private." Lee and Kendal had become a couple shortly after her arrival, and he wholly approved of that. They seemed made for each other and knew Lee had never been happier since Kendal entered his life. He gently patted Lee on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze as he stood and made his way towards the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact us. We've set up a dedicated line so we can have immediate communications as we have questions about our hooking up with the Space Station. We will get you back home safely Kendal, believe it."

Kendal smiled and nodded knowing Harri and his crew would stop at nothing to bring them all back alive and well. "Thanks, Harri. I have every confidence in you to get us home."

Harri nodded and returned her smile hoping to hell that her confidence was not misplaced. Chip and Jamie followed him out the door. As the door clicked shut Kendal finally let the stress and uncertainty show on her face.

"I wish our places were reversed, Kendal," Lee said quietly as he regarded her worried expression.

"I don't, then I would be worrying about you, and sweating out whether we could deliver on the promises Harri's made. I've sat through those uncertain hours waiting for you to rejoin the living and I wouldn't wish that on anyone," she replied. "The one thing I really need is a tight hug from you. I'll be honest Lee, I'm scared to death. I haven't felt like this since we made that unexpected trip in the Aleutians. The only thing that got me through that was having you there with me, assuring me everything would be all right."

"Just hang in there, sweetheart, I know this is all going to work out. Harri's not called a genius for nothing. I wish I was there with you. I miss you so much and just want you back in my arms… and in my bed, so you know I'll be doing everything I can to get you home as well," Lee replied then waggled his eyebrows seductively.

Kendal burst out laughing. "You are such a letch; I think that's what I love most about you. Lee, if there are too many questions, too many unknowns or risks, promise me you won't let them try to come after us. It's not worth it for all of us to die."

Lee stared deeply into her eyes and subtly shook his head no. "I don't know if I can promise that, my love. If there's even a glimmer of a chance of making it there and back I'm coming and nothing short of being physically tied down in chains, locked in the brig, and being heavily sedated will keep me from trying."

That sat in silence for a moment, just looking at each other wishing this all was over. "Well lovely lady, I best get moving and do my part. Don't want the whole thing delayed because I couldn't take my eyes off of you. Hopefully next time we chat, I'll be able to deliver on that hug you ordered," Lee finally said and stood.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kendal joked. "Knock lightly when you get here, so you don't wake up my roommates." They both smiled and chuckled.

"I'll be there soon. Talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too, Lee. You and Chip be damn careful, okay? Bye," Kendal replied and cut off the transmission. She pushed lightly against the console floating back into the middle of the Control Room as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. After a moment, she sighed deeply. "Enough of that, that does no one any good," she said to herself then headed aft to check on her crewmates.

(00l00)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lee stood up from his seat and remained there for a moment as he inhaled deeply and he schooled his expression hiding the deep concern he had for Kendal's well-being. He walked quickly to the door and opened it finding Nelson, Morton, and Jamieson talking quietly in the outer office. As they heard the door they turned and regarded Lee.

"So, how's she _really_ doing?" Harri asked.

"She's scared, but is keeping it together and has a great deal of confidence in us and our ability to get them all safely home," Lee replied.

"How are you doing?" Harri inquired further.

"I'm fine," he answered then chuckled. "I'm worried about her and about being able to get up there and back safely. Pretty much like you're all feeling. What's first on our to-do list?"

The other men nodded in agreement. They all thought highly of Kendal and were equally worried.

"While you were finishing up with Kendal, I got a call from the Engineering Department. They have a status report for us and asked that we come down to the lab," Nelson responded.

"Good news?" Lee asked hopefully.

"Janet didn't say, but her voice sounded upbeat so I'm hoping the news is good. We were just waiting for you before we headed down there."

"Let's get moving," Lee said. "Time is at a premium on this mission."

Harri nodded in full agreement. "Angie, if you need to reach me I'll be down in Engineering," he instructed then turned, opened the door and headed down the hallway with his staff in tow. They set a fast pace heading out of the building and across the grounds.

"Do you think it necessary for you to go along on the mission, Jamie?" Chip asked as they walked.

"At this point in time probably not given what Kendal has said. Both injured personnel sounded like they were in stable condition. If, however the captain's condition begins to deteriorate I'm still going to push to go along," Jamie answered.

"Understood," Harri chimed in. "But first things first, we need to find out if this is even a possibility before we start ticketing this flight."

They finished the walk to the Engineering building in silence. As they climbed the steps, Chip hurried forward and grabbed the door opening it for his superiors. They quickly filed in and headed down the hallway to the main lab.

Harri pushed open the door and entered followed by the others. He immediately spied the entire engineering department staff huddled around the conference table poring over mountains of documents and intently staring at laptops reviewing the various specifications for FS-1, the Space Station, and other modules used to return from space. The whiteboards lining the walls were covered in complex calculations addressing the various parameters of the trip to outer space.

Nelson walked over to Janet King, head of the Engineering Department, to get her report. They were all so deeply engrossed with their work, no one noticed his entry. "Janet, what have you got for me?"

King jumped a bit startled at the sound of Nelson's voice. "Admiral, I didn't hear you come in, sorry."

"Don't worry about that, your attention was necessarily focused on the issues at hand. You said you had news for us, what is it?"

"I have no idea what you were smoking when you designed that heat shield for FS-1, but based on our calculations you could almost land it on the sun and remain there indefinitely. From our review of your work, and a quick bench scale test, getting FS-1 back through the atmosphere looks to be a relative cinch," Janet replied with a smile.

Wide grins spread quickly across the faces of Nelson and his party. "That is outstanding news indeed. I knew I had added an extra measure of protection, but didn't know it was that significant. So, with that question answered, what else do we need to know?"

"We're running the stress calculations now, but because FS-1 is designed to operate under extreme pressures in the ocean depths, and to operate as a supersonic aircraft, we're almost 100% certain that she'll be able to handle the other stresses associated with reentry. Once she punches through the atmosphere, she'll be travelling at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour or Mach 25, based on what we're seeing, the pilot should be able to control her flight and make a safe landing either on the ocean surface or landing strip." King reported.

Lee and Chip whistled in amazement at the speeds they would be traveling. Moving that fast would require a very light touch on the controls so they didn't wind up cartwheeling into the ocean or earth below.

"No pressure, Captain," Chip remarked and clapped Lee on the back.

"Thanks a lot," Lee replied as he rolled his eyes. "When will you have that verified?" Lee inquired.

"I would say within the next 20 minutes. There is a lot of data and the computer needs time to crunch through all that."

"What else?" Nelson inquired.

"The two big issues we're working on right now is figuring out a way for FS-1 to dock with the Space Station, and coming up with a spacesuit that will work inside our vessel."

"Interesting, what are the issues?" Lee asked.

"The hatches aren't compatible, so I've got the team working on designing something that can be easily deployed from FS-1 once you arrive. We're looking at something deployed from inside FS-1 attaching to the Space Station, and also something external to FS-1 that Kendal would have to deploy before the hatch could be opened. The other issue is spacesuits, the NASA version is just too big and bulky to work inside FS-1. If we had to go with them, we would have to pull out the existing seats and engineer something larger that would permit the pilots to move and manipulate the controls. I honestly don't think we have the time for that. I've got a team looking at our existing deep-water dry suits to see if we can modify them to allow the captain and XO to safely pilot the sub and still have a high degree of protection from the hazards of space."

"I would have thought we could just use one of the dry suits as is," Chip interjected.

"I thought so too until we started researching what a spacesuit has to do. The basics of providing an uninterrupted air supply, thermal protection, and visibility are pretty much the same, but it's the other hazards we don't normally encounter at the ocean depths," Janet explained.

"Such as?" Jamieson inquired.

"If they have to conduct any extra vehicular activities (EVA) like going on a spacewalk, then we need to look at protecting them from radiation hazards, extreme heat or cold, and the one that surprised me most is impacts from space dust and debris."

"Space dust? That's really a hazard?" Nelson asked.

"Yes, and it can be instantly fatal. Think of it this way, even a small rock or bit of dust in motion will be traveling at several times faster than a bullet on Earth because there is no gravity working to slow it down. Therefore, should they encounter and be hit by that, and the suit they're in is not reinforced to resist that, it could have the same effect as being hit by a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle and equally lethal." The men exchanged startled looks as they considered Dr. King's explanation.

"That's one of the reasons we're considering an external connection system to be used for joining the two ships. The occupants of the Space Station each have their own spacesuit and the dangers to them would be much lower. Because there's zero gravity, it would be easy enough for Kendal to deploy the gantry from FS-1 and attach it to the Space Station. Once in place, the hatch to FS-1 could then be opened and there would be minimal loss of the internal environment from either craft. Once everyone is aboard, they seal FS-1 back up, then remotely disengage the gantry and move off."

"I can understand that, but what if for some reason that won't work or our team has to exit FS-1 into space? Is there some way we can protect them? I'm not inclined to send them up there without as many safety backups as we can give them," Nelson stated.

"There are options that we have at our disposal. If we restrict rendezvous with the Space Station to times when the sun is hidden, we can eliminate problems with too much heat and extreme radiation. We just need to coordinate those requirements with the Astrophysics department to establish docking times and how long we have to carry out the transfer between ships to keep exposure to a minimum. For the dust hazard, we can give them a Kevlar body suit worn over our spacesuit which should greatly reduce the danger of space dust collisions and impacts if they have to get out of FS-1 for any reason; it will still sting but it shouldn't tear into flesh," King replied.

"That sounds pleasant," Chip deadpanned, garnering a snort and small smile from Lee.

Janet smiled as well and shrugged. "Using our deep-water dive suits with the collared helmet that should adequately protect their heads. We can modify the suit allowing us to pressurize it and also provide heat, the nice thing is we don't have to worry about excess buoyancy in space. We give up some visibility, but I think it's an acceptable trade off. We can rig a redundant life support system that provides oxygen from tanks located in the dive well of the moon pool for take-off. Then when they hook up and need to help bring passengers aboard they can pull on dive tanks to give them the mobility necessary to assist with those tasks. They can then dump those tanks if they need to."

"I've also been in contact with NASA and we can get Crew Altitude Protection Suits or CAPS to deal with the vacuum of space which eliminates problems with embolisms and other nasty effects of zero pressure. They are a fitted elastic garment that should easily fit underneath the dive suit just like the thermal underwear they use."

"How long will all this take?" Nelson inquired.

"I estimate about 18 to 24 hours to get the suits refitted and tested, I just need to give NASA the body measurements for our astronauts and they will have the suits delivered in less than four hours. Then we need to decide on and fabricate a gantry to connect the two ships. We also need to rig up a tether system so they don't go floating off if they need to conduct an EVA since they won't have a jet pack with them."

"Sounds like an acceptable solution, go for that," Nelson directed. "Lee, Chip, are you comfortable with this?"

Lee and Chip looked at each other and nodded their concurrence with the plans so far. "I think they've come up with a workable solution for everything, sir." Lee stated.

"All right, Janet, get your teams moving. Let me know immediately if you run into any snags."

"We're on it. I'll update you every 8 hours if that is satisfactory," Janet replied. "Oh, Lee, Chip, we're going to need to get your measurements for the CAPS, and then have you come down once we've modified the suits to make sure they fit and you're comfortable wearing them and operating the systems."

"We're at your beck and call. Just call my cell and we'll be here as quickly as possible," Lee answered. "Admiral, do we need another suit on the contingency Will's services might be required?"

Nelson turned and looked at Jamieson. "Do you still want to make the trip if immediate medical attention is required, Will?"

Will nodded. "If I can save a life, I'm up for it."

"Thank you, Doctor. In that case, make it three suits just on the outside chance we need to send Jamieson along for the ride," Harri responded.

"Yes, Admiral. Since you're all here now, let's get you measured so we don't need you to make another trip."

Lee, Chip and Jamie nodded. One by one they were measured from head to toe so that the suits could be custom fit to the greatest extent possible given their limited time.

"Now that that's done, let's get out of their hair so they can get back to work," Nelson said and smiled at his team. They all turned and exited the lab, leaving the engineering staff to make things happen.

"Where to now, sir?" Chip asked as he pulled the door shut.

"I'm going to head back to the office and make some calls to see if they've got any more information on that spacecraft Kendal saw, and get an idea on how much space their 'cargo' will require if we're asked to bring it along. Why don't you two head down to FS-1, conduct a complete inspection and get her on the dock so the engineers can work on her as they get their equipment constructed. We don't need any delays in getting anything installed and tested."

"Yes, sir," Lee answered. "One thing, sir. What about armaments? If that spacecraft is taking potshots at the Space Station and quite possibly at us when we arrive, should we consider adding anything more than lasers to FS-1? I don't want to end up going into a gun fight with just harsh words."

Harri, Chip, and Jamie looked startled at Lee's question. Harri almost immediately started nodding as he considered the validity of the query. "Excellent question, Lee. I don't think that we have sufficient time to add any exterior weapons capabilities because it could significantly change FS-1's profile and how she flies. I do think; however, I can enhance the power of the existing lasers. It's not going to be like a phaser," he said with a wink and small smile, "but it should be more than sufficient to burn a hole through any metal surface and compromise their life support or engine systems, and let them know you mean business."

"That should do the trick nicely," Lee replied, chuckling. "I would think that with our detection systems and hopefully greater maneuverability, we can avoid and overcome any projectile weapons they're using."

"That's all set then. Once I get off the phone I'll start working on giving you bigger teeth. Jamie, you need to pull together what medical supplies you think they'll need. I'm hoping you won't be one of them, but I very much appreciate that you're up for this little adventure," Nelson continued.

Jamie nodded and smiled slightly acknowledging Nelson's thanks. "I hope I'm not needed either," he answered. They all dispersed to carry out their specific tasks.

(00l00)

It had been nearly three hours since Kendal had signed off with NIMR. She had tried desperately to control her apprehension and worry by monitoring the various systems on the Space Station, and checking on her two patients. As she floated over to look them over one more time, Katarina started to shake uncontrollably as she began having a seizure.

She moved quickly to her side and lightly grabbed her by the shoulders bracing herself against the bulkhead to keep the captain from bashing into the hard surface. Kendal ensured her airway was open and was ready to react should she vomit. The seizure went on for nearly a minute, worrying Kendal more as each second passed.

Once it was over, she rapidly assessed Katarina's condition and collected her vitals. She was concerned to find that Katarina's left pupil was dilated more than before. When she was certain the captain was no longer in danger, she moved back to the Control Room and contacted Mission Control to report what had happened.

"Damn! What's her condition now?" asked the Flight Surgeon.

"She's quiet now and seems to be resting comfortably," Kendal responded. "I haven't administered any medication, I wanted to check in to see if there was anything we have aboard that would help."

"I was afraid this could happen," Dr. Marla Gibbs responded. "There's an increase in intracranial pressure to begin with in zero gravity, and the head injury is only compounding it. Can you get her into her spacesuit? If we can get the internal pressure up it may help in reducing the collection of fluid in her brain."

"I'll give it a shot, but couldn't that be dangerous if she has another seizure? It would be a race to keep her from aspirating anything if she vomited or even excess saliva."

"I think the risk will be worth it. We need to get the swelling down, you'll just need to monitor her closely, and if she begins to show signs of a seizure be prepared to get the helmet off as quickly as possible," Gibbs answered. "I'm going to check with the other flight surgeons from the other nations and see if they have any other recommendations, there haven't been any issues like this that I know of, so we're kind of flying blind here. Once you get her in the suit, let me know if it's having any impact on her condition one way or the other."

"Will do Doc," Kendal replied. "I'll call you back as quickly as I can."

"Thanks. So how are the rest of you doing?"

"Agneta is still out, but seems to be doing fine. I checked her arm and although there's swelling, there doesn't appear to be problems with circulation. I'm… hanging in there."

"Once Agneta wakes up, you need to get some sack time too. Also make sure you eat, you need to keep your energy up. Got it?" Gibbs instructed.

"Yes, Doctor," Kendal answered rolling her eyes. She then chuckled quietly to herself as she realized how much she sounded like Lee dealing with Jamieson. The man was definitely rubbing off on her, and probably not in a good way.

"All right," Gibbs replied with a smile. "If there's anything you need don't hesitate to call. Hang in there, Kendal."

"Will do Marla. Hope to see you soon. Kendal out."

Kendal let loose a deep sigh. She thought about what needed to be done, then decided it would be easier to move Katarina back to the suit than to attempt dressing her in the confines of the sleeping area. She made her way back to the captain's side and gently untethered her sleeping bag and towed her into the suit storage area.

"Kind of glad you're unconscious for this Kat, hopefully you'll be spared any pain."

It was going to be a bit of a struggle getting her into the suit by herself, but she didn't want to disturb Agneta if she could avoid it. It would most likely be painful trying to assist with a broken arm.

(00l00)


	4. Chapter 4

Harri hurried back to his office and as he passed Angie's desk directed her to get Grant Majors on the phone immediately; he had questions about what was going on up there. Once in his office he walked to the credenza and poured himself a cup of coffee then moved to his desk. As he began to sit, the intercom buzzed and he pressed the button answering the page.

"Grant Majors on line one, Admiral," Angie reported.

"Thank you, Angie," Nelson replied. He took a sip of his coffee, then picked up the receiver and hit the button for line one. "Grant, Harriman Nelson here."

"Hi Harri, glad you called. There have been some developments since we last spoke."

"Oh? Like what?" Nelson inquired.

"Not good ones, unfortunately," Grant responded. "Katarina Medrev has developed complications from her injuries. She's experiencing seizures which are probably a direct result of weightlessness and her head injury. Harri does your doctor's offer to accompany the team still stand?"

"That's not good, to hear. And in answer to your question, yes, Jamieson is still committed to participating if needed. We're making all preparations for a crew of three on the off chance he would be needed. Once we finish, I'll let him know he's now an official crewman," Nelson answered. "Anything else regarding the health of the crew up there?"

"No, according to Kendal, Bergdahl is still sleeping. Kendal is in the process of getting Medrev into her spacesuit and increasing the pressure around her body to hopefully reduce some of the intercranial swelling. Kendal sounds a bit stressed, but other than that she's doing well."

"Hopefully that continues to hold true," Harri said.

"Harri, now that I've got you on the line, we're going to need you to bring a couple items of cargo back with you," Majors began cautiously.

"What the hell is going on up there?!" Nelson nearly bellowed.

"You're definitely never been one to beat around the bush, Harri. There are two experiments we need removed, one is about the size of a 30-gallon drum, and the other about the size of a large shoebox."

"We should be able to accommodate that, but not much more. And what pray tell do these two packages have in them?" Harri inquired.

"That I'm not authorized to tell you. I would have to have the appropriate agency read you in personally regarding the contents and purpose of those experiments. I can assure you that once removed from their storage bins on the station, they would not present a danger to the crew or your personnel. If these items cannot be accommodated on FS-1, then they would have to be jettisoned from the space station and allowed to burn up as they re-entered Earth's atmosphere."

"I see. So, do you think this is why the station was attacked in the first place?" Nelson asked.

"It's a distinct possibility. There could be other experiments from the other nations that use the Space Station that are of equal interest; we aren't the only ones conducting research, Harri," Majors answered honestly.

"Have you by any chance located the ship that attacked them?"

"No, we haven't. They are doing a very good job of keeping out of sight. If it hadn't been for Kendal's keen eyes, we would have just assumed they'd been hit by some space debris. I'm told that assets have been mobilized around the globe to try and determine the responsible party. In fact, ONI was more than a little pissed that Crane had already been grabbed for the rescue mission. Also, all global tracking assets will be on alert to track anything that enters the atmosphere and then follow it to its landing point."

"Harrumph," Nelson grunted and grinned. "I can't say I'm unhappy about keeping Lee out of their clutches."

"How are preparations coming, Harri?"

"We're on schedule to launch within 60 hours. The heat shield on FS-1 appears more than adequate to handle the temperatures at reentry and the vessel itself is more than capable of withstanding the pressures and conditions that could be encountered. My staff now is working on developing spacesuits that will work within the confines of FS-1, developing a redundant life support system, and constructing a docking system that is compatible with the Space Station," Nelson reported.

"Outstanding, everyone will be thrilled to hear about that development," Majors responded.

"Grant, I haven't had a chance to look at the news, but has it been made public what the planned response to the situation is yet?"

"No, not yet. All we've said is that we're considering all options to access the station and rescue the crew. We haven't even identified you as an option to our partners. Why?"

"If someone has the wherewithal to launch a spacecraft basically undetected, then carry out an attack on the Space Station, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to come after any identified rescue vessel. They wouldn't have to kill anyone or destroy it, just disable it enough that it couldn't be launched. I've already implemented our highest alert and security status here, and made it known that no one is to disclose what is going on to anyone without prior authorization. I think it would be advantageous to us all if similar precautions were implemented at NASA and elsewhere. No mention should be made of our efforts to make the attempt. In fact, I would recommend that you should go through the motions to prepare to launch a rescue mission to draw attention away from us," Nelson answered.

"I do know the Russians are rushing through their prep for another space shot to get supplies and personnel up there. So, you think there may be leaks from within one of the various organizations that utilize the Space Station?"

"I don't think that's much of a stretch, do you? Make this need to know, we don't need anyone throwing roadblocks up before us."

Majors nodded. "Odds are your points of concern have already been considered and that's the reason why no specific rescue information has been released to the press. I'll forward your concerns to the appropriate ears, and add my concurrence with them should additional support be required."

Nelson nodded despite the fact he couldn't be seen. "Thanks, Grant. I need to get off the phone now and take care of a couple modifications to FS-1 needed to meet our mission objectives. Transmit the information on cargo requirements directly to my head of engineering. I'll also have Jamieson get in contact with your Flight Surgeon, ASAP."

"Will do, Harri. Be talking with your shortly. Bye."

As the line went dead, Harri sat back in his chair and blew out a deep breath. He was not thrilled with the idea of adding another of his men to this mission, but Jamie would be fit to be tied if he found out he could have been of service and was not given the opportunity.

He picked up his cup of now tepid coffee and took a sip, he grimaced at the cool temperature as he swallowed. He grabbed the receiver and dialed Jamieson's direct number. After two rings, a voice answered.

"Jamieson."

"Will, Nelson here."

"What's up Harri?" Jamie inquired knowing by the tone of Nelson's voice something had changed.

"Looks like you get to be an astronaut after all. The mission commander, Katarina Medrev, has developed problems and the Flight Surgeon felt that medical assistance sooner rather than later would be beneficial to her overall prognosis," Harri replied.

"What's happened?"

"She's having seizures."

"This soon after the injury? Those usually don't present until at least 48 hours after brain trauma," Jamie remarked.

"The Flight Surgeon believes that it's due in large part because of the lack of gravity and the normal increase in intracranial pressure that occurs when humans go into a weightless environment. According to Majors, Kendal is placing her in her spacesuit and pressuring it up in hopes that it will mitigate some of the swelling. I need you to get in touch with the Flight Surgeon and get a download for the mission."

"Will do, Harri. After I've talked with him, I should have my medical kit ready to go within the hour."

"Great. Also give Janet a call down in engineering and let her know you've been added to the manifest," Nelson replied. "I'll let Lee and Chip know you're going along for the ride."

"Right away," Jamieson acknowledged.

Harri let a small smile spread across his lips, his as pride in all his staff's willingness to take on any challenge to help others couldn't be contained. He could hear the trepidation in Will's voice, but it wasn't enough to deter him from going where he was needed most. "Thank you, Will. I appreciate you taking this on."

"I'm happy to do it, Harri. I'll give you a call when all the arrangements have been made. Bye."

Nelson hit the receiver button clearing the line then quickly dialed Lee's cell.

"Crane."

"Lee, it's Nelson. There's been a change to the mission parameters and Jamie is now going along. The mission commander is having problems and the Flight Surgeon feels immediate medical treatment is required to prevent further injury. Jamie's getting in contact with NASA to get the specifics and will notify Janet that he's been added to the manifest."

"All right, sir, we'll set up another seat for him. The more the merrier," Lee quipped. "Any other changes we should know about?"

"You should be aware that I've asked that NASA not release any information about using NIMR as the rescue organization to hopefully keep whoever attacked the Space Station in the dark about our plans," Harri relayed.

"I think that's a wise precaution, sir. I'll relocate FS-1 to the underground subpen and post guards around her to ensure no one gets near her without proper authorization."

"Good idea. I'm heading off to my lab now to see how much of an increase in power I can get you on the lasers, then will come down and make the adjustments. What are you and Chip doing?"

"We've just completed a rivet by rivet inspection of FS-1 verifying everything is ready to go. Janet called earlier and asked us to come to the lab for our spacesuit fitting in a couple of hours. I've also got to feed Chip before he passes out from hunger. Care to join us?"

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll have Angie get the cafeteria to send up lunch to my office so we can continue working on any issues that have come up. Why don't you invite Jamie too, so we can run through an initial mission brief?"

"Roger that, sir. We'll see you in your office at 1300."

(00l00)

Harri pushed up from his desk chair and walked to the door. He passed by Angie's desk asking her to order lunch for four to be delivered at 1300, and to let her know he would be in his lab should anything require his attention. He then headed out the door and started walking to his lab. As he walked, he mentally reviewed the schematics for the laser unit installed in FS-1, following each circuit from start to finish, conjuring up images of each component and how they were constructed, and fit into the unit as a whole. By the time he arrived ten minutes later, he knew basically what he needed to do to bolster the components to allow for generation of a much more powerful beam that could dish out some serious damage if required.

Reaching his lab door, he unlocked it, walked in flipping on the lights, powered up his computers to verify the computations he'd already completed in his head, and to work through the finer points of balancing the systems to accept the loads. As the computers booted up, he started a pot of coffee and retrieved FS-1's schematics from his safe. He unfurled them on top of his drafting table and smiled in satisfaction as his mental images of the laser circuitry was exactly as he remembered it.

The coffee now done, he poured himself a large cup then sat down and started working in earnest on modifying the laser unit to give his boys some teeth if they needed them. As he completed his last line of the modifications he needed to make, the phone rang breaking his concentration.

"Nelson," he growled at the caller. He sat back and stretched his back releasing the built-up tension.

"Admiral, it's Angie. It's 1245 and time for you to return for lunch," she replied, immune to his grumpy demeanor when working on a project.

"What?! Already?!" Harri replied and looked up at the clock on the wall having been completely oblivious to the passage of time. "Thanks for calling Angie, I had no idea it was that late."

"No problem sir, I've worked for you too long not to know when you need the periodic reminder of the passage of time," she answered with a chuckle. "Your lunch and lunch companions should be here shortly."

(00l00)

They filled their plates quickly and claimed places around the conference table. It was quiet for the first few minutes as each man dug into his meal, all were hungrier than they thought.

After the first few mouthfuls, Nelson finally spoke. "So, have you been through your spacesuit fittings yet?"

Lee nodded and swallowed. "Yes sir. We were just finishing up when lunch rolled around. Given all the things they had to add, we each went up a size so the suits could accommodate the extra bulk and fittings. After lunch, we're going to head down to the pool and see if everything works and get a feel for them while using the controls in FS-1. We'll also run through putting them on, hooking them up, and donning and removing the air tanks a few times so we get comfortable with the entire process."

"Good, it's good to hear that it's all coming together," Nelson replied around a bite of sandwich. "How about the gantry system? Have they committed to a design yet?"

"I believe they have," Chip replied. "They most likely will go with the external system that will require someone in the Space Station to open the hatch and attach the passageway to the station, since they have an airlock and their own spacesuits. That system should preserve the atmosphere in both the Space Station and FS-1. Once the transfer is made, we would just jettison the gear and make our return."

"How about the lasers, sir?" Lee inquired.

Harri smiled. "I think I can give you quite a bite should you need it. I've finished mapping out all the modifications I need to make, and now just need to head down to FS-1 and install them."

"Any word on the ship that Kendal saw?" Jamie asked.

"Nothing yet. Whoever it is, is keeping well-hidden at the moment. I would think they would make their move after the air supply is estimated to run out. That way they can move in and not have to deal with any messy boarding procedures," Harri responded. "To that end, there are a couple of US experiments NASA wants removed from the Space Station. There should be sufficient storage space in the moon pool once you jettison the spent air tanks."

"Are we taking just our cargo, or does that extend to other nations?" Chip queried.

"That will depend on the availability of space. Given Kendal is the only one up there who currently knows who's coming to the rescue, we won't get that information until after you've launched and are well on your way. If it won't fit, I'm sure there will be requests to have it jettisoned into space," Nelson posited. "What about your part of the mission, Jamie?"

"I've talked with Dr. Gibbs and agree that a physician should be there to respond once we've entered the atmosphere to monitor for adverse reactions once gravity starts kicking in. The few minutes I would have before we could make a landing might be critical to mitigate any negative developments," Jamie explained.

"Speaking of landings, has anyone determined where we will set down, yet?" Lee asked.

"We've not gone that far into the mission planning. Given FS-1 can land just about anywhere, my guess would be a secure military landing strip with ready access to advanced medical capabilities. If it was my choice I would opt for San Diego or Honolulu, but that's not my call," Harri replied. Lee and Chip nodded in agreement with his selections.

They resumed eating their lunch and as they finished Nelson looked down at his watch. It was almost 1400. They had been at this for nearly 12 hours now and he was quite impressed at the progress they had made. He got up from his seat and retrieved the coffee pot from credenza, went back to his seat and filled his cup. He raised the pot silently inquiring if anyone else needed a refill and received negative shakes of the head from the others.

"All right then," he said as he raised his cup then took a tentative sip, "let's get back to the business at hand. I'm going down to FS-1 to complete the laser upgrades. That should take me about 2 hours to complete that. Lee, get in contact with Janet and Patrick and have them meet down in the Engineering Lab at 1800 with status briefs on their aspects of the mission. Jamie, get your supplies down to the underground subpen so they can get loaded aboard."

Lee nodded, acknowledging the tasking.

"My kits are all ready to go, I just need them taken down there," Jamieson replied. "Also, we need to see about getting a night shift set up to carry on with the required tasks and to give this shift some rest. Tired people make mistakes."

"Agreed," Nelson answered. "We can touch on that at the 1800 meeting."

Harri finished his coffee and rose from the table followed quickly by the others. They all made a beeline for Nelson's door, anxious to get back to their tasks. Nelson headed down towards the subterranean subpen to work on the laser, while Lee headed for his office to contact the department heads regarding the upcoming meeting. Chip accompanied Jamie to Med Bay to assist him with the med kits and to get a couple of the crewmen to take them down to the subpen. After that, they would meet at the NIMR gym and hit the pool to test their new spacesuits. It was all coming together nicely and their confidence in making the trip growing by the minute.

(00l00)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Upon arriving at the subpen, Harri spotted Kowalski stowing supplies in one of the cabinets. "Kowalski, I need some assistance here."

"Yes, sir," he replied. "I just need to finish putting this away, if that's okay sir."

"That's fine, Ski. When you're done, get a ladder and meet me over at FS-1. I'm going to need some assistance in making some adjustments to the laser unit."

"Aye, sir. I'll be there in five minutes," Ski answered and quickly finished stowing the supplies then hurried off to find a ladder.

Harri walked over to FS-1 and entered through the aft hatch. He went to the pilot's seat and powered up the boat then lowered the laser targeting and control unit from the ceiling. He then moved to the starboard control panel, opened it and lowered it down revealing the circuitry for most of the little sub. He quickly located the circuits and components for the laser system and gently pulled them out. As he turned around, Kowalski was entering through the aft hatch.

"Here Ski, take these and put them out to the workbench. I also need you to get me a volt meter, soldering gun, and coil of solder," Nelson ordered as he handed the items to the rating.

"Aye, sir," Ski replied. "Are you going to need any wire too, Admiral?"

"Yes, good thinking." Harri rattled off a number wire gauges then returned to the targeting unit and carefully pried the back of the unit off. He gently removed a number of the small circuit cards then exited FS-1 and walked to the work table with the rest of the components.

"Here you go, sir," Kowalski said as he returned to the workstation with the items Nelson wanted.

"Thank, Ski. Now I need you to get topside on FS-1 and retrieve the cover and lens off the front of the laser unit and bring it back."

The rating nodded, grabbed the ladder he had brought earlier and quickly climbed on top of FS-1 and began gently prying the cover off the unit. Within minutes he was climbing back with the cover and lens and laid the items on the table. By the time he returned, Nelson was already engrossed in modifying one of the components he had removed, oblivious to Ski's return.

Ski observed silently as the admiral quickly soldered new leads to the cards and modified the components, doing what he wasn't quite sure. It was more than obvious that Nelson knew exactly what he was doing. He went after each item the admiral needed until after nearly two hours of work, Nelson stood upright wincing at the pull on his back after being bent over the workbench so long and smiled.

"There, that should do it," Nelson stated.

"Should do what, sir?" Ski inquired.

"Well, if I did this correctly, I've just increased the output from the laser by at least an order of magnitude, making it a very good offensive weapon," he said with a slight smile. He slipped another lens inside the cover and handed it to Ski. "Go put that back on laser unit on top."

"Yes, sir," Ski replied and headed back to FS-1 and up the ladder. As he climbed back down, Nelson was already inside replacing the modified circuit cards and components. With the last card in place, he pushed the control panel back into position and locked it shut. "Anything else you need, sir?"

"Now for the acid test. Come on Ski, give me a hand getting that bit of old hull plate moved over here."

Nelson walked over to the overhead crane controls, turned the unit on, and moved the crane over to a scrap bit of inner titanium hull plate left over from a recent repair. He lowered the hook and Ski quickly attached chains to the thick metal plate and gave Nelson the okay sign to begin the lift. Harri activated the winch and carefully raised the massive plate off the ground and moved it in front of FS-1, then gently set it on the deck.

"All right, Ski, let's go inside and test this baby out," Nelson said, a twinkle of excitement in his eye as he anxiously awaited to see how much power he'd actually added to the unit.

"Aye, sir," Ski replied and bit back a smile having seen that look in the admiral's eyes any number of times knowing something big was about to happen.

Once in FS-1, Harri powered up the engines and the laser, and lowered the targeting unit. He lined up the sites on the center of the plate then drew in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," he said, then depressed the trigger.

A bright red beam shot out of the unit and burned a hole through the two-inch-thick plate and began melting the cavern wall behind it like a hot poker going through a cube of warm butter. Harri stopped firing and both men gaped at the result. "Whoa!" they both whispered simultaneously, then exchanged startled looks and began to laugh.

"I'd say your test was highly successful, Admiral," Ski said as he continued to look at the smoking metal and quickly cooling melted rock.

"I'd say that and then some," Nelson replied with a chuckle. He quickly returned to the laser and reactor controls to see what effects that impressive display of power had had on the systems. He muttered to himself as he regarded the readings. Everything looked to have handled the loads well, but it had been a significant drain on the reactor as the power level had dropped a noticeable bit.

"That was more effective than I imagined," Harri said, as he closed up the control panel. "I don't think they can use it more than a few times without impacting their power supply, but it will definitely give them one hell of a bite and one should be enough."

"I take it they're expecting trouble when they head up to get Dr. Ferguson?"

Harri nodded. "Very possibly. This isn't common knowledge, so keep it to yourself, but the Space Station was attacked instead of being hit by an arbitrary bit of space junk."

"Attacked?! Who would do that?" Ski inquired, shocked by the admiral's news.

"We have a number of suspects, but no way to confirm the guilty party at the moment. As I said Ski, keep this under your hat," Nelson admonished.

"Not a problem, sir," Ski acknowledged. "If you're all done, Admiral, I'll start getting everything tidied up."

Nelson smiled, nodded and patted Kowalski firmly on the back. "Thanks, Ski."

(00l00)

Kendal yawned and slowly stretched out her tense and tired muscles. She felt old and weary beyond anything she had experienced in quite some time. She glanced up at the clock and quickly understood why, as over 18 hours had passed since this entire hellish nightmare had begun. She had been up another 10 hours before that. She knew she needed some rest before she crashed and was of no value to anyone on the station.

She made her way back to the sleeping area and made a quick check on Katarina finding her condition unchanged, but at least there hadn't been any recurrence of the seizures. Next, she eased over to Agneta and gently shook her shoulder. "Agneta, Agneta, I need you to wake up," she said quietly.

Agneta mumbled quietly in her sleep then slowly opened her eyes. "Kendal, what's wrong?" she asked then hissed slightly as the pain from her broken arm brought her fully awake.

"Well, other than the obvious, nothing. I just need you to take over for a few hours while I grab some sleep," Kendal answered wearily.

"Sure thing. How long have I been asleep?" she asked as she carefully worked her way out of her bed sack.

"It's been 18 hours since some ass blasted the station," she replied angrily.

"What?! Someone was shooting at us? Are you sure?"

"Yep, they popped up a little while after you had gone to sleep about 10 hours ago."

Agneta's face clouded as she processed the information. "Ten hours you say? You should have woken me up sooner, you've got to be beat."

Kendal nodded and gave her a wan smile. "So, let me give you a quick brief on our situation. Oxygen consumption is holding with our projections, Katarina has been having problems with seizures, but those seem to have abated since I put her in her spacesuit, and Mission Control is busily working on getting a rescue mission put together to come collect us. Last I heard, if all goes as planned they should be knocking on the door in just under 48 hours."

"Really?! They've found a way to get up here before our oxygen runs out?" Agneta asked excitedly.

"Yes," Kendal replied with a smile. "NIMR thinks they may be able to use the flying sub to come up and get us. They've been running tests and making preparations since they were notified of the situation."

"That's great!" Agneta let loose a relieved sigh. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Just keep a close eye on Katarina, and if she starts having problems wake me up immediately so we can make sure she doesn't upchuck in her helmet. Um…next check in with Mission Control is due in about 2 hours, but feel free to call any time. They'll also put you in contact with any of your family or friends, if you wish. Just let them know."

"Gotcha. Now you get yourself in bed and I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks. Wake me in four hours, okay?" Kendal responded.

"If I need you, I will. You just need to get some rest. Now sleep tight and don't let the spacebugs bite," Agneta answered as she pushed herself out of the sleeping area to give Kendal a little privacy.

Kendal was asleep almost as soon as she closed her bag. Agneta floated just outside the area monitoring her until she was asleep. She moved forward to the first aid kit and pulled out some more pain killers and swallowed a couple to tamp down the persistent ache in her arm. She next made her way to the Control Room and checked on all the dials and gauges making sure everything was doing fine.

She completed a circuit of the Space Station ensuring things were in order and also just killing time. As she passed back through the sleeping area, she checked on Katarina and made sure Kendal was still soundly asleep. She moved over to her storage cube and dug through one of her bags and withdrew a small iPod and the headphones, then headed to farthest point away from her companions.

Certain that no one was around, she turned the unit on and toggled the transmitter. "Alpha, this is Sigma, over. Repeat Alpha this is Sigma, come in."

After a moment, there was a response. "Read you Sigma, what is your situation? Why haven't you evacuated?"

"The station is venting oxygen as planned, but during the attack something tore a hole in the return capsule. We are unable to evacuate the station. Estimated remaining breathable air for the entire crew is 58 hours. Ferguson has indicated that NIMR is attempting to mount a rescue and is due to arrive in 46 hours," Agneta reported.

"How is that possible? Our information suggests no one could reach the station for at least 5 days at the earliest," Alpha responded.

"Ferguson said NIMR thinks their flying sub is capable of making it here and back safely."

"What of the experiments? Have you marked them so we know which ones to take? Did she make any mention about taking any of them when you depart?"

"Yes, I've subtly marked them so you can easily identify which ones you wanted. And no, she didn't say anything about bringing anything along. I'm supposed to contact Mission Control in another hour, maybe they will provide additional information at that time. I don't think it prudent to ask at this juncture," she responded. "Also, they know the damage was caused by an intentional attack instead of random space debris."

The line remained silent after that statement. After nearly a minute she called out. "Alpha, did you copy my last transmission?"

"Yes, we heard you. That is most unexpected and most unfortunate," Alpha responded. "Concur with your assessment that you not inquire about taking any cargo with you at this time. Once you get a more definitive schedule on the possible rescue contact me immediately. This delay is impacting our air and fuel supplies as well, we will have to use almost all of the remaining fuel to rendezvous with the station and connect," Alpha ordered.

"Understood Alpha. It's coming up on the time for me to contact Mission Control; I'll contact you again once I've gotten the information you've requested. Sigma out." She terminated the transmission and quickly looked around making sure no one had heard her. She let out a sigh of relief, tucked her iPod in her pocket, then headed back to the Control Room to contact Earth.

(00l00)

As Agneta arrived in the Control Room there was a soft chirp indicating an incoming transmission. She depressed the switch and answered. "This is the Space Station, go ahead Mission Control."

"Agneta! Good to see you up and around," Major said in greeting as he saw her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi Grant, good to see you too. I'm feeling okay. My arm is throbbing about two beats faster than my heart and feels like I've got a rat gnawing on my fingers, but other than that I'm fine," she replied with a weak smile. "I've just taken some pain meds, so I'm waiting for them to kick in."

Grant nodded. "What's the current situation up there? Kendal finally crash?"

"Yes, Kendal is finally getting some much-needed sleep. We transferred the watch just under two hours ago. Katarina's condition is unchanged, and thus far there have been no new seizures, so hopefully the suit is helping with that. All systems are operational and oxygen consumption is going as anticipated," she reported. "So, what's this I hear we may get a ride out of here?"

"You heard right. Looks like NIMR is going to be able to get up there and give you all a ride home before things turn stuffy. They're finishing up on their gantry system to connect both vessels to transfer personnel and customizing their dive suits to work in space. Once they've nailed down those items, they'll be on their way."

"That is great to hear! Was seriously thinking we were going to have to skydive back from here," she replied with a small chuckle. "What's their ETA?"

"Based on my last discussion with Admiral Nelson, they should be at your doorstep in 46 hours or less. That gives us a 12-hour cushion for getting the vessels joined up and everyone transferred over," Majors answered. "Before that, we're ready to set up any communications between you and your family and friends. Is there anyone you'd like to talk to?"

"Yes, that would be great. I'd like to speak with my parents, if possible."

"Not a problem. One other thing, have there been any more sightings of the ship that attacked you?"

"Not that I've seen. I was totally shocked to hear we were attacked. Have you been able to ID them?" Agneta replied.

"Not at this time, but we've got nearly every intelligence organization on Earth reviewing the footage to hopefully determine who the guilty party is. And almost every tracking asset on Earth will be monitoring the skies once they try to come back home, so hopefully we'll be knocking on their door before the capsule cools down."

"Do you know why anyone would do such a thing? I don't really see anything up here that would be worth the effort."

"We suspect that it has to do with some of the work taking place up there. The perpetrators most likely figured you'd all evacuate following the damage to the station, but probably didn't count on the return craft being damaged as well. Keep your eyes open and stay alert just in case they try to gain entry."

"Well that's a lovely thought. I didn't see repelling boarders as part of the astronaut job description. I'll definitely keep a keen lookout for anything out of the ordinary," she answered.

Majors chuckled. "Very good…Okay we have your parents ready to be brought on-line. Plan on making contact in four hours unless something changes, or you just need to hear a friendly voice from Earth," Majors said. "Take care, Agneta, be talking to you soon. Hold the line for your family."

Majors' image winked out and was immediately replaced by that of her father and mother. He was a handsome man in his early 70's, strong Nordic features and sliver gray hair, but his face was marked with weariness and worry as his eyes flicked quickly between the screen and his wife seated at his side. The woman, also in her 70's, had the same Norse features and long gray hair done up in a bun. She was gaunt and pale, quite obviously suffering through the effects of some disease that was rapidly stealing her life away. Her expression was pained both by the effects of her malady, and the dire situation in which their only child was now captive.

Agneta gave them a slight smile trying desperately to put up a brave front, which they returned trying hard not to betray the worry and dread they felt about the current situation. She worked hard to rein in the urge to cry, terrified at being stranded in space with little chance of escape. She quickly composed herself. "Hello Momma, Papa…"

(00l00)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Having completed his work on the laser, Harri decided to head down to the NIMR pool and see how things were going with the improvised spacesuits. He was personally pleased and immensely proud of his people, at how well they were resolving the issues and moving them closer to rescuing those on the Space Station.

As he entered the pool, he watched as one of the men slogged up and out of the pool, supported by technicians on either side. Given the added layers and the larger suits, they had to cut down buoyance by increasing the amount of weight needed to keep them underwater, so weight belts were attached at the waist and on each leg. Once out of the water, all that weight made it difficult to walk and given the slow pace of the exit, he guessed it was most likely Jamieson. When the man was firmly on the deck of the pool, the helmet was removed along with the weights, and air tanks, and Harri laughed to himself at having guessed correctly as he heard the ragged relieved sigh from the diver/astronaut.

"You're looking more than a little spent, Jamie," Harri called out as he made his way down to poolside.

Jamie waved and nodded tiredly. "You've got that right. We've been going nonstop for the last three hours and I'm beat. Everything is okay in the water, but getting in and out is a real struggle at times. At least we won't have to worry about the weight in space."

"Where are Lee and Chip?" Nelson asked as he scanned the area, then spotted the surge of bubbles rising up to the surface of the water.

"They're still down there working through a few more tasks. They have quite a bit more to do than I, given I'm only supercargo until we get the others on board," Jamie explained as he was carefully undressed by the support crew from engineering.

"How are the suits working?" Harri asked.

"From what I can tell, they're great. It's easy to moderate temperature, there's sufficient manual dexterity to manipulate gauges and switches, visibility doesn't seem to be a problem, and in the water, it's relatively easy to move around," Jamie reported.

"Everything is showing green, Admiral," Mike Davis said as he reviewed the readouts on his tablet. "The systems are operating exactly like we designed them to, so it looks like we're down to just the gantry system."

"Excellent news, Mike. Sounds like we've got a great shot at making this work. How much longer will they be working in the pool?"

"We're all but done now, sir. They both should be surfacing shortly, then we'll get the suits completely dried out and staged down in the subpen so they're ready for use when it's time to go."

They all stood there for a moment watching Chip and Lee manipulate some devices at the bottom of the pool. Once that task was complete, they received the okay sign from the technician observing the exercises indicating they were finished. They returned the sign, then began making their way towards the steps and exited the pool.

Their exit was a little faster than Jamie's, but not by much. Lee nodded and waved as he spotted Nelson. Chip likewise nodded and gave him a thumb's up indicating all was well. Harri smiled and moved closer to where the techs were now assisting them remove their gear.

"How's it going, Lee?" Nelson asked, once his helmet had been removed.

"I think everything's a go as far as the suits are concerned. We're both able to manipulate the switches that are on FS-1, and easily operate the joysticks for flight control. We were able to get everything done we needed to do," Lee replied. "These are bulky as hell on land, but comfortable and flexible in the water, so hopefully they're perfect for zero gravity operations. What do you think, Chip?" Lee responded.

"I agree with your assessment. I don't see flight ops to be much of an issue," Chip chimed in.

"Good to hear," Harri replied. "I've finished my work and I've given you a serious capability to defend yourselves. I was able to cut through one of the titanium inner hull plates like warm butter, so you're going to be able to dish out some considerable damage if threatened."

Both men nodded in acknowledgement. "I hope that's not necessary, but it's good to have it in our back pocket," Lee added.

"Agreed. Why don't you all get cleaned up then we can head over to the engineering lab, and see how they're coming with the gantry system and get the update briefings?" Nelson suggested.

"After that, we could all use a good meal and some sleep," Jamie added on. "We don't need to be exhausted going into this from the start."

Lee and Chip nodded in agreement knowing Jamie was right. They turned and started making their way to the locker room. "I'll see you back here in 30 minutes," Harri called after them.

(00l00)

As the monitor went black, Agneta lost the fight to contain her tears. The added stress of her being trapped up here was more than apparent on her parent's faces, and her mother, battling late stage lung cancer, could ill-afford the extra burden. She so desperately wanted to be back on Earth helping to take care of her mother, but that was beyond her control now. She was shocked at how much her condition had deteriorated since she last spoke with them. " _Was it just a week ago?_ " she wondered to herself

She should have been back on Earth by now, her secret Swiss account now bolstered by several million Euros, to be used for getting her mother into the best hospital in the world along with the best treatment available. All they wanted was for her to verify certain items were aboard and mark them for removal after the PR vessel damaged the oxygen tanks. She really hadn't betrayed anyone, just made it easier for them to get in and out, she rationalized.

After about 30 minutes of wallowing in self-pity, she dried her eyes and made her way back to the sleeping quarters. Kendal and Katarina were still out. She then returned to the aft section of the station and made contact with the other ship.

"Alpha, this is Sigma, do you read me?" Agneta hailed.

"This is Alpha, go ahead Sigma," the voice replied.

"I just talked with Mission Control and the rescue vessel is expected to dock with the Space Station in approximately 46 hours, if the mission is a go. They don't know who launched the attack, but I was told virtually every intelligence agency on the planet is trying to find out, and they are reviewing all the satellite footage to determine if they can find the source of the rocket launch. They will also be monitoring everything entering Earth's atmosphere to determine where your capsule touches down," Agneta reported.

"Copy that. I suppose there's no point in putting off our docking any longer. We will begin our maneuvers to align our orbits, estimate link up in about 40 hours. On your next watch, disable the station's radio so our arrival can't be reported."

"You mean you're going to come aboard while we're still here?!" she asked incredulously.

"With rescue closer than we expected, we will not waste this opportunity, too much has been expended on this mission. We will not risk them removing the items we're after when they remove the crew. Contact us again on your next watch. Out," Alpha ordered.

The line went dead and Agneta gulped in fear. This was spiraling further out of control with each passing moment. If Kendal saw them, she would no doubt be able to guess they were from the PR and would report that once NIMR arrived. She swallowed hard again, she could only hope they would take her with them since she guessed they would most likely eliminate the others to hide their guilt.

She curled tightly into a ball, eyes screwed shut and just hovered, cursing herself for ever getting involved in this whole scheme. After a moment, the image of her terminally ill mother came to mind, reminding her of why she had gone along with it all in the first place. "This is for you Mamma," she said quietly.

As she remained there, oblivious to all around her, she screamed out loud when a hand gently touched her shoulder.

"Oh my god, Neta, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Kendal said, who was equally surprised by her friend's reaction.

Agneta laughed nervously as she got herself under control. "I'm sorry I frightened you too," she replied. "I didn't hear you come in."

"How's your arm?" Kendal inquired, noticing how she cradled it against her stomach.

"Hurts. My fingertips are feeling a bit numb, I think the swelling is starting to cut off the circulation. Would you mind taking a look at it, please?"

"Sure thing. Come on back to the sleeping area and I'll unwrap you," Kendal replied with a chuckle. "How's Katarina been doing?"

"She's been quiet, no repeat seizures. She doesn't seem to be in any pain," Agneta replied.

"That's good. I was afraid she'd have more," Kendal responded. "Okay, let me see your arm."

Agneta extended her arm. Kendal quickly checked her fingertips and found them to be slightly blue indicating constricted circulation. She gently bled off some of the air in the splint then watched Agneta's fingertips for a change. Kendal smiled as the nailbeds became pink once more. "How does that feel?"

Agneta sighed in relief. "Much better, thanks."

"Good. How long has it been since you've had a pain pill?"

"I took one right after I relieved you, so about 6 hours I would guess."

"I think it's probably safe to have another one," Kendal said as she rummaged through the first aid kit and pulled out a packet, tore it open, and passed it to Agneta. "Have you eaten anything lately?"

She shook her head no as she popped the pills into her mouth and grabbed a swig of water out of a bottle. "Me either, and I'm getting more than a little hungry. Let's have dinner, then you can grab some more sack time, okay."

"That will probably help with the headache I'm getting," Agneta replied.

"Okay, I'll cook, what are you up for tonight?" Kendal quipped and pushed off towards the galley to collect their meals. She returned shortly with the heated dinners and set up Agneta's so she could handle it one handed. They ate pretty much in silence, both women lost to their own thoughts.

Having completed her meal, Kendal looked over at Agneta who had only eaten about half. "Are you okay? You seem quieter than usual. Are you still in pain?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not all that hungry. Chalk it up to the stress and medication, my stomach feels like it's inhabited by monster butterflies. Plus, my parents aren't handling this well, especially my mother," Neta replied dejectedly. "A short nap will probably help."

Kendal frowned. "How's your mother doing?"

"Not well from the looks of things. They weren't about to discuss what's been going on with them given my problems, but she looked to have aged several years since I talked to her last week," Neta relayed.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, hopefully this won't be going on much longer. A nice nap will make the time pass faster," Kendal offered. "Anything I need to look out for, for Mission Control?"

"Nope. They just said to keep our eyes open for the jerks that fired on us," Neta reported. "We're due to check in again in about 90 minutes."

"Okay, thanks. Now you, in your bag and relax. You want to look good and rested for when Lee and Chip arrive to give us a lift home. I'll see about hooking you up with Chip," Kendal joked. She then checked on Katarina one more time and made her way forward to the Control Room to check on the status of the station."

(00l00)

Harri, Lee, Chip and Jamie walked briskly across the NIMR campus to the Engineering building to check on the status of the gantry system, the final piece required for their trip. As they entered the lab, they spotted a number of techs working on what looked like two door frames attached to a series of accordion room dividers, along with a number of staff from the astrophysics department there for the 1800 briefing. At the sound of the door opening, Janet King looked up and spied their visitors.

"Admiral, gentlemen, perfect timing. We're just about finished with the final tweaks to our portable gantry system," Janet said as she smiled and gestured towards the door frames.

"Interesting," Nelson responded. "A little more low-tech than I expected, but looks like it should work."

"The low-tech design is wholly intentional, sir. We've made it as simplistic and easy to use as possible to hopefully eliminate any potential means of failure," King explained. "We envision attaching this on the outside of the aft hatch of FS-1, by means of powerful electromagnets that are controlled from inside. The entire package will then be sealed up in an asbestos blanket that will protect it from the heat of the engines as FS-1 transitions into space. Once FS-1 arrives at the Space Station, the captain will maneuver her in close proximity to the capsule hatch, then Kendal will open the external air lock hatch, grab the deployment ripcord and pull the free end over to the station and attach it to the inside of their hatch. When that's in place, the aft hatch on FS-1 can be opened as can the hatch to the Space Station, and the transfer of personnel can begin without the loss of atmosphere from either vessel. When the transfer is complete, the hatches to both vessels are secured, the magnets will be shut off, and as FS-1 pulls away she'll be free of the gantry as she begins her trip back to Earth."

"So, just one person can deploy the gantry?" Chip asked.

"Yes, the understanding is that Kendal is the only uninjured person aboard. With this system, FS-1 won't have to lose the atmosphere inside the vessel just to deploy the gantry. This has the fewest moving pieces we could come up with in the given time. The accordion doors are fabricated from a light, high strength, insulated Kevlar fabric that will provide an airtight seal between the vessels and be protective of the personnel as they move back and forth."

Lee nodded and smiled as he listened to the engineer's explanation. "That's fantastic. I like the idea of having nothing adhering to FS-1 as we make reentry. How long will it take to get this attached to FS-1 and tested?"

"I'd say another 10 to 12 hours. We've already started installing the redundant life support system in the moon pool well, fortified the seat restraints, have the magnets and power switches in place for the gantry assembly, and now we just have to transport this down to the subpen, get it attached, test it, then get it wrapped up for launch," Janet replied. "Once we have the gantry in place, we'll finish the work on the tether system, and you'll be all set. All in all, I'd say we could be ready to launch in 20 hours or less."

Broad smiles graced the faces of everyone in the room. It very much looked as though they were actually going to pull this off.

"Well done," Nelson enthused. "You have all done a fantastic job. I take it you have an instruction sheet so Kendal will know what to do?"

"Affirmative, sir," Joel Maynard chimed in. "We've been creating instruction manuals for everything as we've gone along, so we capture the steps and can readily identify the rationale for each. We don't want anyone second guessing themselves at a critical moment. Before FS-1 launches, we'll contact the Space Station and go over the operations of the gantry with Kendal."

"Excellent. Once you've got this installed on FS-1, I want you to go through it's deployment and operation with the flight crew so they can deploy it, just in case," Nelson ordered.

"Of course, Admiral, we had planned on that as well. We want as much redundancy as we can manage in the short amount of time we have," Dr. King responded.

"Good to hear," Nelson replied. "Okay Patrick what have you got from the world of astrophysics, flight tracking and trajectory?"

"We're ready to go as well, Admiral. We've been in close coordination with NASA, and have developed a number of trajectories and time lines to allow FS-1 to access the Space Station, get the personnel aboard, and be on her way home with the least amount of exposure to radiation and extreme heat. The joy of having a nuclear power source makes it easy for them to readily adjust to any unexpected developments once they're on their way. They don't have to worry about remaining fuel should they need to deviate from a chosen course. We've got everything loaded into FS-1's flight computer, so all the pilot need do is tell it where he wants to go," Patrick Dunn explained.

"Outstanding!" Nelson exclaimed. "What about return payload, any issues with that?"

"None, sir."

"What if they have additional cargo they need to bring with them?" Nelson inquired.

"The only constraint would be space availability, Admiral. What kind of cargo would they be bringing back?" Dunn asked.

"NASA has a couple of experiment modules they want brought back with the passengers. If this proves problematic, then they want them jettisoned in the atmosphere to burn up," Nelson explained. "Any issues with that?"

"The only one I could think of would be extreme weight, like the module is constructed of lead or some other very dense material. Although her capability is high, FS-1 does have upper limits that can't be exceeded if you expect her to stay in the air." King responded.

Nelson and Crane nodded in understanding. "That's an excellent point, I'll try and get more specifics from NASA on expected bulk of the units. If it's too high, can we just jettison them out of the moon pool?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, Admiral. We've fixed it so the space between the hatch inside FS-1 and the exterior hatch will function like an airlock. The items can be sealed in there before they exit the Space Station, and then just before they start their descent into Earth's atmosphere, they can remotely open the exterior hatch and dump the cargo," Janet explained.

Nelson just stared at her, highly bemused at her revelation. "Is there nothing you and your people haven't thought of?" he asked rhetorically.

"That's why you pay us the big bucks, Admiral," she joked back.

"Apparently, I need to add a few more to ensure I keep you all at my beck and call," Harri replied as he made eye contact with each person in the room. "Well done to you all."

Everyone smiled and some even blushed at Nelson's words of praise. A number patted each other on the back as they reveled in their just due.

"Okay, I think it time we get out of your way and let you all get back to work. Make sure your teams are getting some rest, tired people make mistakes and we can ill afford any on this endeavor."

"Don't forget to eat a decent meal either," Jamieson added as he looked around the lab spying only empty coffee cups and candy wrappers.

Janet laughed. "God, no wonder Lee complains about your mother-henning. I've already contacted the cafeteria and they are sending down dinner shortly. I also divided my team in half at the start of this, and sent half of them home to rest. They should be arriving in about an hour, then we'll conduct a turn over brief and let them proceed with the gantry installation and testing, so fresh eyes are evaluating what we've created."

"We've done the same in astrophysics as well, sir," Patrick added. "We're here to support you and Kendal any way we can."

Nelson nodded in appreciation of their planning. "Well, on that note, we are heading to the cafeteria for dinner as well, then tucking in the flight crew for some much-needed rest. Let me know if you run into any problems, at any time."

"Yes Admiral," Janet answered. "Copy that, sir," Patrick added.

"All right gents, let's head to dinner then get you bedded down for the night," Nelson said, then turned and headed for the door.

"Thank you for your efforts, we all appreciate what you've done," Lee said, then quickly followed the others.

(00l00)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

There was an added spring in the step of Nelson and his crew, as they walked across the compound to the Admin building and the cafeteria. This was all coming together like a well-designed watch, and the odds of successfully recovering the Space Station's personnel was looking more a certainty by the second. As they entered the cafeteria, they were greeted warmly by the staff standing by to get them fed.

"Evening, Admiral, Captain, Mr. Morton, Doc," Cookie called out across the room.

"Evening Cookie," Nelson replied. As he scanned the kitchen area, he noticed it was manned with the galley crew from Seaview instead of the usual cafeteria staff. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"We've got the night watch for Jake and his staff. They've been up since before the crack of dawn this morning, so we're going to make sure the work teams are well fed through the night."

"That's great, Cookie," Nelson answered. "Thanks to you and the galley crew for pitching in. I know most of you were off on leave this week."

"You're welcome, sir. Anything to help get Ms. Kendal back safe and sound. We were all more than happy to come in and support the team," Cookie answered. "Why don't you all go take a seat, and I'll have your dinner brought right out to you. I've got some real nice steaks ready to go, won't be but 15 minutes or so. Oh, save room for dessert, we've got a nice assortment of cakes and brownies."

"Thanks, Cookie," Lee replied. "Save a few of those for the trip, so we can give our passengers a treat on the way back."

"You got it, Skipper," Cookie replied with a smile.

As Cookie returned to the kitchen, Nelson and crew walked across the cafeteria and took a table next to the windows. It was now dark outside and only the lights of the odd boat out on the water and the glow of the subpen lights were visible as they wearily claimed a seat. A minute later, a galley steward arrived with four cups and a fresh pot of coffee. He quickly filled the cups and doled them out.

"Looks like you all could use this, sirs" he said. They all grabbed the cups and took a deep draught of the liquid.

"This is just what the doctor ordered," Jamieson purred in appreciation. "Thanks, Jordan."

"You're welcome, sir. Just relax, your meals will be out shortly," he replied, then turned and hurried back to the kitchen.

Now alone, they all sat back in their chairs and let out a deep sigh in unison, resulting in a chuckle. They were all bone tired and still had a long way to go before this was over.

"I couldn't have said it better," Nelson remarked. "I think we've made fantastic progress today and have no doubt we'll get there with time to spare. How are you feeling about flight operations, Lee?"

"I'm very comfortable with it, sir. Engineering had a great mockup of the controls in the pool, so we know we can adequately work all the systems on FS-1 without problems. I've been going over the reentry procedures and have no issue with that. I even got in touch with some of the old Space Shuttle pilots to get their insight on flight control once we start down. I have no doubt that FS-1 will acquit herself admirably."

Harri nodded. "How about you, Chip?"

"I concur with Lee, sir. We're both comfortable with all the preparations, and I have no doubt that we'll pull this off without a hitch."

"Good. And you, Jamie, what is your assessment? Still okay with going along for the ride?"

"Most definitely, Harri. I have the utmost confidence in the pilots, and the people making all the preparations for this adventure. Never figured I'd ever get to be an astronaut when I signed on for submarine duty with you," he replied with a chuckle.

They all laughed in response to Jamie's comment. "In all honesty, I hadn't envisioned that either," Nelson responded. "I really wish I was going with you, maybe next trip. So, Lee, have you heard anything about who they think is responsible for the attack on the Space Station?"

"I spoke with Admiral Hardy a couple of hours ago and they haven't come up with anything definitive yet, but they are leaning more and more towards the PR being the culprit. Although, without any tangible proof there's no way to confirm that right now."

"I'm inclined to agree with their assessment, they have the technology and a history of similar attacks here on Earth," Nelson said.

"That must be one hell of a piece of technology for them to go to this much trouble," Chip added.

"Definitely. The research must be damn near complete if they risk going after it in space. The thought of what they might be working on, quite honestly, concerns me," Lee offered.

They all nodded in agreement. Just then Cookie and his staff approached the table with a sumptuous meal of filet mignon with béarnaise sauce, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus spears, and baked potato. The hungry men eyed the plates in admiration.

"My god, Cookie, that's some meal. Looks like something given a condemned man for his final repast," Nelson quipped. They all laughed in response.

"Wouldn't want the heroes passing out from hunger, sir," he joked back.

"No chance of that happenin', Cookie," Chip offered. "Don't know if even I can make it through all of this. Are you going to make up doggy bags for the trip if we don't eat it all?"

"No, sir, Jake has your lunch boxes covered for tomorrow," he replied with a smile. "Enjoy, sirs. Come on guys, we need to gin up some sandwiches for the late shift."

As Cookie left, they dug into their gourmet meal. They ate in silence relishing each bite. By the time they were done they were stuffed to the gunnels and ready to pop.

"Wow, that was great," Lee remarked as he yawned and stretched. "I'm now ready for bed."

"I think we all are," Nelson added. "Gentlemen, I want you to stay at NIMR tonight. I don't want to take any chances that the enemy has gotten wind of our rescue effort, and is now lying in wait to take you out. You're welcome to stay in the Penthouse."

"I agree, Admiral. I was going to suggest that myself," Lee answered. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to head down to Seaview and my bunk there."

"I'm going to do the same, sir," Chip replied.

"I'll take you up on your offer, Harri. I don't want them thinking I'm stalking them, and there to check up on them while they sleep," Jamie joked.

"Thanks Jamie, we appreciate that," Lee responded and laughed.

"All right, it's settled. Everyone off to bed and get some sleep. Let's meet back in my office at 0500. The night crews should have a good portion of their work done and then we can contact the Space Station at 0600 to go over the mission brief."

"Aye, sir," Lee responded for them. "On that note, we'll be on our way. Good night Admiral, Jamie." Lee and Chip rose and started towards the door.

"Good night, Lee, Chip. Sleep well," Harri called.

"On my best girl? Always," Lee replied with a wave and a laugh.

(00l00)

With Agneta securely tucked in bed and asleep, Kendal completed a tour of the station making sure everything was okay. Finding no new problems, she returned to the Control Room just in time to hear the chirp of the radio from Mission Control.

"This is the Space Station, go ahead Mission Control," Kendal replied.

"Good to see you, Kendal," Marie Anderson said, as she saw Kendal's image on the monitor. "How's it going up there?"

"Hi Marie, status unchanged. You send Grant home for some rest?" Kendal answered.

"That's a plus," Marie replied. "Yes, we're into the night shift here. I've got an update for you, the NIMR mission is a go, they've resolved all the issues they identified, and are installing the necessary equipment and making final preparations for their flight."

Kendal let out an unrestrained whoop of joy. "That is great to hear! Do you have an ETA for their arrival?"

"Not yet, count on the original estimate for planning purposes. I just got off the phone with Admiral Nelson, and we will be contacting you at 0600 PST to conduct a mission brief, and to provide you with a list of tasks you're going to need to perform to join the two vessels. You're still capable of doing that, yes?"

"God, yes," Kendal responded. "Nothing short of a coma would keep me from doing anything to get us out of here."

"Good to hear," Marie replied and laughed. "Kendal, there are a couple of items we would like you to pull out of their compartments and take with you when you leave. They're relatively small and will fit on FS-1."

"What items?"

"It's a couple of experiments that don't need to fall into any unfriendly hands, if you get my drift. The two items are experiments US-643-5J2 and US-837-B21. Don't make any move to remove them from their storage positions until you're contacted by FS-1 with an actual ETA. Also make no mention of this to the others, this is need to know," Marie explained.

Kendal furrowed her brow as she listened to the directive. "What's in them? And why not let Neta know what I'm doing?"

"I'm not authorized to let you know what those modules contain, and as far as letting the rest of the crew know, storage space is at a premium and our projects will take priority. We have informed the other nations of what has occurred on the Space Station, if they make similar requests for removing experiments, Captain Crane has been authorized to remove the modules but only for disposal in space."

"Harrumph," Kendal responded eliciting a chuckle from Marie. "What's so funny?"

"You sounded just like Admiral Nelson. I think you're spending too much time around him," Marie replied.

Kendal stuck her tongue out at her and chuckled as well. "There are worse people to be influenced by," she retorted. "Anything else I need to know?"

After nearly 30 minutes of providing updates and passing on other information regarding operational status of the Space Station, Kendal signed off with Mission Control. The news that NIMR was definitely going to be making a house call had her floating on Cloud 9. Needing something to occupy her time, she exited the Control Room and headed down to where a number of the US experiments were stored.

She started reading the numbers on the modules, looking for the two that she needed to remove and bring along once they were ready to leave. As she spied the first one, she noticed for the first time, that the outside case had a large scratch across the top. She initially shrugged it off as having occurred during their unexpected spiral out of control when they'd been attacked or some time earlier. She continued down the line until she spied the second module she was looking for and noticed that it too had a long scratch across the top.

Kendal frowned at the implications of just those two modules being 'damaged' in exactly the same manner. She then conducted a complete review of every experiment module on the Space Station looking for damage or similar marks, but came up empty. She thought back over her time aboard and really couldn't recall if those cases had been scratched before the attack or not. The two containers could have been marked at any time since being brought aboard and according to the logs they had been aboard for over a year.

She floated back to the Control Room debating whether she should alert Mission Control or not. She finally decided to keep it to herself for the moment, until at least the 0600 briefing. Kendal couldn't believe that one of her crewmates could possibly be in league with the people who had fired on them. She let out a frustrated sigh, all she could do now was just wait until their next contact in six hours.

(00l00)

Lee and Chip walked quietly down the hill to the subpen, both consumed with thoughts of the upcoming flight and all they needed to do to make it to the Space Station and back. About halfway there, Chip finally broke the silence.

"How you doing, Lee?" he asked, knowing how concerned his friend and brother must be about Kendal.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Lee replied distractedly. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I know you're worried about Kendal, as are we all," Chip clarified.

"Yeah, I'm worried about her, but that's not going to help anything. I know she's got things squared away up there. The real worries rest with us and our ability to pull this off," Lee confided. "I can't let my worry and doubts hamstring me. I'm approaching this like an ONI mission, compartmentalizing and locking away my conflicting thoughts and emotions."

Chip nodded in understanding. He'd seen far too many ONI mission preps where Lee locked away his emotions to focus fully on what he had to do for his least favorite part of the Navy. "I hear you. I'm both excited and terrified at what we need to do. I have no doubts in our prep, and I just hope Murphy doesn't show his face," he replied.

"Yep, me too. My big concern is getting up there and finding whoever attacked the station standing by ready to greet us. You're going to need to be able to target and blast them if they show up, and I don't doubt that they will. I talked a bit with Admiral Hardy about what's in those modules they want us to bring back, and according to him they are real game changers in the area of national defense. They will do anything to keep them out of PR hands, to include destroying the Space Station with a missile if we can't make it."

Chip froze instantly as Lee continued to walk. After a moment, Lee noticed Chip was no longer at his side, turned around and stared at him.

"You're shitting me?! They would go to that extreme?!" Chip exclaimed loudly.

"Yes," Lee answered flatly. "There's no way they will allow those boxes to be in anyone else's control. Believe me, I was as shocked as you are, that's why we've got to make this work at all costs."

"Nothing like a little more pressure," Chip sniped. "So, at what point are they going to fire?"

"Once it's obvious that we can't carry out our mission or get there first," Lee responded emotionlessly.

"Does Nelson know about this?"

"No, I was sworn to secrecy. They quite obviously don't want Harri going ballistic on them over this, and you know he would. It wouldn't change their minds, just prove to be a distraction they don't want," Lee answered.

"So why are you telling me?" Chip inquired.

"You need to know all the risks we face. I'll tell Jamie just before launch so he can back out if he wants. We could become collateral damage very easily."

"Oh?! So, you're not giving me that option?" Chip replied in mock outrage.

Lee fixed him with his best command face. "Do I need to?"

"No," Chip quickly conceded and chuckled. "It's still nice to be asked. Well, so much for a good night's sleep."

"Chip, I have every confidence we're going to succeed. Just concentrate on what we have to do and relax. I'll also be leaving a letter for Harri in my safe, explaining all of this on the remotest of chances that we don't come back. The truth will be known," Lee added. He placed his hand on Chip's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I suppose that's some consolation," Chip conceded.

They stood there for a couple of minutes looking at each other, communicating silently all their worries and fears and taking comfort in knowing each fully understood the other.

"Come on," Lee said, "we best get down to the sub and grab at least a few hours of sleep before it's all non-stop fun."

Chip snorted and shot him a friendly sneer. He clapped Lee on the back, and they finished their walk down to Seaview.

(00l00)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was just after 0430 when Lee and Chip exited their cabins dressed and ready for the day's events. They smiled at each other recognizing the impatience and excitement they both felt that kept them from lounging in bed. They made their way down to the wardroom and found fresh coffee waiting in the urns for them along with breakfast pastries.

"Looks like Cookie and crew have been busy bakers all night," Chip quipped as he snagged a peach turnover. "Mmmm, I do love it when he makes these."

Lee laughed as he watched the flaky pastry fall off and hit Chip's shirt and floor. "You're making quite the mess, Morton. I think that explains why he doesn't make them often."

Chip sneered at him, and then took another bite sending yet another spray of crumbs into the air. Lee poured them both a cup of coffee in a to-go cup and snapped on the lids. "Here, see if you can keep from making a mess with this." They both laughed, then headed out of the wardroom to meet up with their boss for the 0500 briefing.

It was still dark as they trudged up the hill towards the Admin building. They could readily see the light in Nelson's office and tracked him as he paced in front of the window, occasionally joined by others no doubt already assembling for the meeting. They quickened their pace not wanting to be the last ones there.

Lee rapped on the doorframe a couple of times as he and Chip entered. They nodded to Jamie, Angie, and Patrick who were already seated awaiting the start of the meeting. Nelson turned around at the sound and smiled as he saw his command crew enter.

"Morning Lee, Chip, sleep well?" Nelson asked.

"Morning sir," they both replied.

"Like a rock," Lee continued. "My gray lady is the best sedative in the world." He chuckled and took his seat at the table.

Chip moved over to the credenza, grabbed the coffee pot and refilled his cup. He raised the pot towards those at the table and received nods of acceptance for the refill. He quickly moved around the table topping everyone's cup off, then returned the carafe to the stand. As he walked over to take his seat, they were joined by the rest of those invited to the meeting.

As the head of security entered, Harri caught his eye. "Darren, would you please close the door?" Fox nodded and pulled it shut behind him, then claimed his seat at the table. "Thank you all for being here so early. We've been at this for just over 24 hours, and from what I've seen our progress is almost unbelievable, and puts us well ahead of our projected rescue time of 60 hours." They all smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I've been in touch with NASA and have the current status of the Space Station. Everything remains basically unchanged. Oxygen consumption is a little below what they calculated, so that just gives us a bigger cushion in which to arrive. All other systems are still operational and the crew is not in danger. Captain Medrev has yet to regain consciousness, but has had no recurring seizures since she was placed in the suit. There have also been no additional appearances of the craft that attacked the Space Station, so the popular theory at this point is they are waiting for the station to run out of air before trying to access it. NASA has also not released any information regarding our intention to conduct the rescue mission," Nelson relayed. "So where do we stand on the status of all of our preparations? Janet, please start off with your report."

"Yes sir," Janet replied. "As of 0330 this morning, the gantry system is now installed. It still needs to be fully tested to ensure it will function properly when deployed. We also need to run the flight crew through its operation so they're fully comfortable with using it, and are capable of deploying it if necessary. The spacesuits have been relocated down to the subpen, have been thoroughly checked out, and are fully operational. The redundant environmental system and air tanks have been placed in the moon pool between the inner and outer hatches. There is also sufficient cargo space for the items that need to come back with the astronauts. We're in the process of modifying the chamber, so it can be used as an airlock if anyone has to exit the ship to conduct an EVA without voiding the atmosphere inside FS-1. There are now tether hooks attached at key points on FS-1, so anyone required to conduct an EVA can clip in their tether and move about without fear of floating away."

"Excellent," Nelson acknowledged. "Sounds like your people have been busy over the night. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads no. "Good, how about you Patrick?"

"We've got all the trajectory and navigation information downloaded on FS-1's computers. We've identified the best times to attempt hook up with the Space Station, so the crew will face the least amount of exposure to radiation and heat. We also preprogrammed autopilot settings that are capable of flying the craft back to Earth if the pilots choose not to navigate themselves. All you'll need to do is tell the computer when and where you want to go, and it will provide you all the necessary information to get you there and take care of the flying to boot. We need to sit down with Captain Crane and Commander Morton to go over the trajectory and Space Station rendezvous procedures, so they can easily synch their movement with the station."

"Fantastic, sounds like you've got an answer for anything Lee and Chip may need. Any questions?"

"How long is it going to take us to get up there and rendezvous with the station?" Lee asked.

"The fastest arrival we've come up with is six hours from launch to hook up. That one requires some very tricky navigation and we recommend that flight plan only if it's a dire emergency. The most likely time to arrive will be 10 hours and that gives you more time to maneuver and synchronize FS-1's movements with the station. Given Admiral Nelson has indicated that oxygen consumption has been less than expected, I'd recommend taking the extra time to make the connection." Patrick responded.

"That sounds like a wise precaution," Lee said. Nelson and Chip both nodded in agreement. "Have we been given a landing location yet, Admiral?" Lee asked.

"Yes, they have selected NAS North Island in San Diego. It will be your call whether you want a land or sea touch down, just let them know as you prepare for final approach," Nelson replied.

"Copy that, sir." Lee replied and noted that in his notebook.

"Okay, Darren, any security issues?"

"There have been no attempts to physically breach the NIMR facility. There have been a couple attempts to hack into our computer system, but whether they're related to this mission or not is unknown. We deal with these attacks almost on a daily basis and have successfully rebuffed them. As a precaution, I stationed security personnel outside the homes of you, Captain Crane, Commander Morton, and Commander Jamieson last night to watch for signs that anyone was interested in doing you harm. Suspicious vehicles were spotted in Captain Crane's and Commander Morton's neighborhoods. When my men approached the vehicles, they sped off. Vehicle make and license plate information has been forwarded to ONI for investigation, I've yet to get any response." Nelson, Crane, and Morton exchanged knowing looks.

"That doesn't sound good," Lee responded. "There's usually no traffic out my way and Chip's house is in a gated community. I think somehow the cat is out of the bag."

Both Nelson and Fox nodded. "I agree," Harri said. "Darren, I want security doubled around the complex. Also, I want critical personnel to remain on base until we're ready to launch. Janet, Patrick, that means you and the lead members of your teams. When we're done here, let Darren know which members of your night shift are critical and he'll dispatch personnel to keep watch over their homes and provide escorts back to NIMR. Do you have any other recommendations, Darren?"

"No, sir. I think those are prudent precautions to keep critical personnel safe."

"Good. Okay, we've heard everyone's report, so where do you think that puts us on the timeline for initiating our rescue? Janet, what do you estimate as quickest possible launch and most realistic time?" Nelson inquired.

Janet sat back in her chair, quite obviously going through her mental calculations given what needed to be completed. "Quickest time I'd feel comfortable going forward is 12 hours, that shaves down redundant equipment checks, and the amount of time the flight crew has to familiarize themselves with the aspects of the equipment and mission. Most realistic time would be 20 hours, that gives us enough time to triple and quadruple check everything before we push the button."

"Patrick, what about you?"

"We can support 12 hours. Most of our work is done, and we would focus on working with the flight crew versus programming or other activities. Of course, more time is better and would go for the 20 hours," he replied with a quick smile.

Nelson nodded as he listened to the reports. "That's good to know. I think we could shoot to split the difference and be ready to go in 16. Lee, Chip, Jamie, how do you feel about that?"

"As long as Chip and I are confident with our knowledge of what needs to be done, I can support 12 hours, but 16 or 20 works too. I don't want to rush unnecessarily and risk screwing up," Lee replied.

"Chip?"

"I think 16 hours is doable, sir. It's not like we're flying a totally foreign craft, so it will just require us to get comfortable with the new aspects this mission presents."

Both Nelson and Crane nodded in agreement. "Jamie, what about you?"

"My druthers would be the 20-hour launch. I would like us all to have a chance to rest and be at our most alert before we go forward. That being said, I can easily support either scenario."

Nelson sat back in his chair and considered the input he had just received. After a few minutes, he sat forward having made his decision. "Let's shoot for 16 hours for launch. I think an earlier arrival would be more advantageous, especially if there are pirates out there just waiting to pounce. Anyone disagree?... Good, then we'll give that to NASA and the Space Station as our ETA."

Harri glanced down at his watch. "We've got 15 minutes until we contact NASA and the Space Station, go take a quick break and be back here by 0600."

(00l00)

Kendal was a floating bundle of nerves and was convinced that the last six hours were the longest six hours of her life. She waited anxiously for the start of the 0600 briefing to find out when Lee and Chip would be there to rescue them and to pass on what she had discovered. As she counted down the minutes, she heard a noise behind her and spied Agneta coming into the Control Room.

Kendal forced a smile. "Hi, good to see you up. How are you feeling?"

"Thanks. I'm feeling much better. There's still that nagging pain, but my fingers don't feel cold or tingly, so I think some of the swelling has gone down," Bergdahl replied. "So, what's up, Doc?"

Kendal laughed. "You're just in time for the 0600-mission brief, and they will finally tell us when NIMR is coming to get us."

"That's great! I take it everything is a go on this, yes?"

"Last I heard they had resolved all the issues, and all they had to do is install some equipment and get the flight crew ready for the ride," Kendal answered and smiled. Their attention was then drawn to a quiet chirp indicating Mission Control was calling. Kendal quickly flipped the switch and was pleased to see Grant Majors and the NIMR staff on the split screen.

"Morning Kendal, Neta, how are things up there?" Grant began.

"Not too bad, all things given," Kendal replied. "We're just really anxious to hear when you're going to be able to give us a ride home."

"Hence the reason for our call," Grant joked. "To get the skinny on that, I'm turning this call over to Admiral Nelson. Admiral, please proceed."

"Thank you, Grant," Harri responded. "Morning Kendal, Dr. Bergdahl. Before we get started, I want to introduce my staff. Starting on my right is Captain Lee Crane, Commander Chip Morton, the flight crew, Dr. Will Jamieson, CMO, Dr. Janet King, chief of Engineering, Dr. Patrick Dunn, Acting chief of Astrophysics, Ms. Angie Wilson, my PA, and Mr. Darren Fox, head of NIMR security." Each person waved as Nelson said their name.

"To answer your first question, Kendal, we hope to be knocking on your door in 16 hours," Harri replied. Both Kendal and Agneta sported huge smiles across their faces and each released a huge sigh of relief. Harri chuckled. "I take it that is acceptable."

"Oh, more than acceptable, Harri, although it doesn't give us a whole lot of time to tidy up the place before you arrive," Kendal joked and chuckled as well.

"Please don't fuss over us," Lee interjected and smiled.

"That is exceptional news, Harri!" Majors exclaimed. "That totally blows away your initial estimate. There will be some extremely happy people here when I pass that on."

Nelson nodded and smiled. "We will launch FS-1 from here, and Lee, Chip, and Jamie will make their way to the Space Station. Once aloft we are counting on ten hours for transit and docking operations. When they arrive, Lee will position FS-1 next to the second capsule airlock, and it will be up to you, Kendal, to exit the stations, grab the ripcord for the gantry system and deploy it. Once you have it deployed and installed, you will be able to open the hatch to the inner station, and FS-1 will be able to open their aft hatch with no loss of environment. Is that something you can do?"

"Copy, Admiral. I will gladly take that on, just talk me through the process," Kendal responded.

"Good. When we've finished with the brief, I'll have Janet walk you through it along with transmitting instructions. The nice thing is that it will allow ready access between both vehicles and the transfer can take as much time as you need. As a safety measure, the NIMR crew will be on their own oxygen source, so there will be no additional draw on the Space Station's resources," Harri continued.

Those on the monitor nodded their understanding. "You're going to need to don your spacesuits before FS-1 arrives for the transit back. Once everything is secured aboard FS-1, they will jettison the gantry and return to Earth. The estimated time of return is roughly four hours and you will be touching down in San Diego, California."

"I've always wanted to go there," quipped Agneta, garnering quick smiles from the NIMR crowd.

"Wish granted then," Harri answered. "All right, those are the basics. What questions do you have?"

A lively discussion occurred back and forth as the Space Station crew got all the details of the mission, and asked questions of the engineering team lead. They verified receipt of the gantry system instructions and made sure Kendal was comfortable with what needed to be done. Jamieson had his own questions regarding the condition of all personnel on the station and what he wanted done when they arrived. After nearly two hours, the meeting began to draw to a close.

"Anything else we need to discuss?" Grant asked.

"I was just wondering if I could have a private word with Lee before we sign off?" Kendal asked and blushed slightly.

Everyone chuckled. "Of course, Kendal," Harri replied. "We'll all get back to our tasks and give you a bit of privacy. Hope to see you both, soon. We'll wait for you outside, Lee." Nelson patted him on the shoulder as he stood and herded the rest out of his office.

"I'll sign off now too, Kendal," Majors said. "Don't hesitate to contact us for anything."

"I'll go check on Kat," Agneta added, then winked and smiled at Kendal.

"Thanks, Neta," Kendal replied and smiled. She waited a few seconds until she knew that Agneta was out of earshot. "Hi Lee. I've missed you."

"Hey Kendal, likewise," Lee replied, somewhat curious why she wanted this private chat. "How you doing?"

"I'm fine and I'm ready to come home," she answered and then shot a quick look over her shoulder again making sure Agneta was not around. "Lee, the real reason I wanted to talk with you is that when I checked on the two packages I've been asked to bring back with me, both had already been marked with identical scratches."

Lee furrowed his brow. "You sure? Have they always been marked, or just since you've been there?"

"I'm fairly certain that the scratches are new. I can't honestly say I really noticed before, but I wanted you to be aware of that potential," Kendal explained.

Lee nodded agreeing with her decision to pass her suspicions on. "That's not good. So, do you think Dr. Bergdahl is in league with the vessel that attacked you?"

"It could be either of them since I can't definitively say when the marks were made, but I'm inclined to believe it's her, because Katarina has been out since the attack."

"Thanks for sharing this with me. I'll pass it on and get ONI looking more deeply into both ladies' backgrounds. Keep an eye on her if possible, and arm yourself just in case."

"Arm myself? With what?" Kendal asked incredulously.

Lee chuckled. "Find a wrench or spanner. Something that gives you a little reach in case you need to subdue her."

"Okay, I'll go pull something out of one of the tool kits," she answered then released a tense sigh.

"Hang in there, sweetheart, rescue is at hand," Lee said trying to dispel some of her anxiety. "We'll be knocking at the door shortly. Once we launch, we'll keep in constant contact, okay."

Kendal smiled and nodded. "Okay. You be damn careful, Mister. I have plans for you after this," she replied playfully.

"Oh, count on it, I've got my own list as well." Lee smiled lecherously and wagged his eyebrows. "I have to go now, there are a number of things I need to take care of before launch. See you soon, my love."

"See you soon. Bye," Kendal replied and toggled off the monitor.

(00l00)

Lee blew out a frustrated sigh and pushed up from his seat. He walked quickly to the door and pulled it open seeing Nelson, Morton, and Jamieson waiting for him in the lobby. Apparently, he wasn't hiding his concern well, as each man frowned at him.

"What's wrong, lad? Is there a problem with Kendal?" Nelson asked.

"There's a distinct possibility that one of the other women on the Space Station is working with the people that fired on the Space Station. Kendal was asked to prepare to bring the two experiments with her when we arrive. When she went to identify those two items, she noticed that those two containers had already been marked," Lee started. "She said she couldn't positively say that they weren't marked before she arrived, but she thinks that it has been done since all this mess happened."

"Damn," Chip replied.

"Indeed," Nelson added. "Does she suspect Bergdahl or Medrev?"

"She's leaning towards Bergdahl, primarily because Medrev has been out since the attack. I told her I would pass on her suspicions to ONI. I also told her to arm herself, and to keep a close eye on Bergdahl until we get there."

"Like we really needed that little wrinkle in all this," Nelson replied. "I think you're really going to have to watch your backs once you get there. At least you have the more maneuverable craft and have a real bite if you need it."

"Yes, sir. I'm going to head to my office and notify ONI. Do you want to contact NASA or leave them in the dark for now?" Lee answered.

"Go ahead, son. I think we'll let ONI decide who needs to know on this one. The fewer people aware of this the better."

"I agree. I'll see you down in the subpen after I've finished," Lee said then turned and headed down the hall for his office.

"Do you think this jeopardizes our mission, or the lives of the crew up on the Space Station?" Chip asked.

"I wouldn't exclude it from the realm of possibilities. I just hope this is some bizarre coincidence and the modules were scratched during transport. I'd hate to think that one of the other astronauts is either collaborating with or unwillingly under the control of the PR," Nelson responded rubbing the back of his neck at this unexpected situation. "Come on gents, let's head down to the subpen and get you started on your mission prep."

(00l00)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"So, he's your boyfriend?" Neta asked as Kendal moved back to the sleeping quarters. Kendal nodded and smiled. "OMG, to quote my cousin's teenage daughter, he's a hunk. If the blond is the guy you wanted to fix me up with, I'm all for it." Both ladies laughed.

"Are you hungry?" Kendal asked after a moment.

"I could eat, thanks."

"Kick back and relax, and I'll rustle us up some breakfast. Eggs and bacon okay, or do you want cereal?"

"Eggs sound good this morning, thanks."

Kendal quickly fixed their breakfast and passed the food packets to Agneta. They ate quietly each keeping to their own thoughts. Once they finished their meal, Kendal collected the packs and disposed of them. She came back, checked on Katarina, and found nothing had changed. She gently unlocked her helmet then checked her pupils, and was encouraged to see that the left seemed less dilated. As she finished up, she fought unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"You look beat, Kendal," Neta said. "Why don't you grab a quick nap before everything gets crazy around here."

"Nah, I'm fine," she replied. "Just got the yawns, that's all."

"Seriously, you need some rest. Everything is quiet, we've got help rushing our way, kick back and relax for a bit. I'll start dusting and doing the floors, so we don't look like total slobs when your boyfriend gets here."

As much as she needed to stay awake, she was just too beat stay up any longer. Her eyelids were feeling heavier by the second. "Maybe you're right," she conceded. "I'll grab a couple hours so I'm alert once they lift off. Wake me if you need anything, okay?"

Neta gave her a quick smile and a snappy salute. "You've got it. Now go crawl into your bag and get some shuteye."

Kendal nodded and pulled her sleeping bag out and crawled in. As soon as she zipped it shut, she was almost immediately asleep. Neta exited the sleeping area and headed to the Control Room. After nearly 30 minutes, she pulled open the console with all the communications equipment and removed a couple of circuit cards, rendering the unit inoperable. She then opened another console and stashed the cards inside. As she secured the console a rush of guilt and terror consumed her. She was almost to the point of undoing her dirty work when her mind flashed back to the last image of her mother.

She sighed deeply then exited the Control Room and headed to the opposite end of the Space Station. Certain she was alone, she pulled out her transmitter and turned it on. "Alpha this is Sigma, do you read me?"

"We read you Sigma. What is the situation?"

"The rescue craft is scheduled to be here in 16 hours," she reported.

"Damn, that is not good," Alpha replied. "Do you know if Ferguson has been asked to bring those two items with her?"

"No, I don't. No one has said anything about bringing cargo onto the rescue vessel when it arrives," Agneta reported.

"We can't take that chance," Alpha stated. "We will accelerate our rendezvous schedule. We have to get there first. Have you disabled the radio yet?"

"Affirmative. I did that before I called."

"Good. Based on our current situation, we will be rendezvousing with you in 14 hours. We will be cutting it extremely close with our fuel supply, but should be able to make it. We will contact you when we have synched our craft with the station. You may be required to neutralize Ferguson before we arrive if she poses a threat."

Bergdahl immediately paled. "What?! I can't do that! You said nothing about doing that. Plus, I've only got one good arm."

"You will do what needs to be done, or you can forget about payment, and your parents will not be long on this Earth," Alpha ordered.

Agneta gulped knowing full well they wouldn't hesitate to carry out their threat. Fear for her parents and her own life now began to grow. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Knock her out, tie her up, kill her, I don't care. Just ensure that she does not interfere with our operations. With the little fuel we have remaining, we cannot be delayed, or we'll not be able to return to Earth," Alpha replied bluntly. "We will contact you before we begin docking operations. Out."

The line went dead and Agneta began to shake almost uncontrollably. She knew her life was now in jeopardy, and had to come up with some way to take Kendal out of the picture while they were here. She hoped they wouldn't kill the other women if they were both unconscious and unable to see who had come aboard.

She immediately began thinking of ways to disable Kendal. The problem was that she really liked her and didn't want to have to hurt her. With Kendal currently asleep, she might be able to drug her and knock her out. She could also bind her up in her sleeping bag while she slept. The problem with that option was that Kendal would know she was involved. She was left with either drugs or a physical attack.

Agneta curled up in a ball and closed her eyes. She began mentally working through the pros and cons of each option. She had to buck up, find her courage, and act soon before the choice was taken out of her hands.

Finally coming to a decision, she stealthily made her way to the first aid station and scanned the contents until she found the fast-acting sedative for emergencies she knew was there. She pulled out the vial and a syringe and drew off a dose. She then made her way into the sleeping quarters and eased up next to Kendal.

She slowly raised her hand with the syringe, hesitating for a moment as she warred with her conscience, then deftly inserted the needle into Kendal's neck and injected the fluid. Kendal groaned and swatted at the sting as though it were an insect. Seconds later her eyes flew open and she stared at the startled visage of Agneta with the syringe in her hand. Shock, anger, betrayal all marked her expression as she took in the scene.

"What the hell have you done?" slurred Kendal as she tried to react, but found her body and her consciousness quickly shutting down.

"I'm so sorry," Agneta replied quietly as tears streamed down her cheeks. As Kendal faded back to sleep, Neta felt herself awash in an ocean of shame. " _How had this all skewed so out of control?_ " she wondered as the full impact of her actions slapped her in the face while her crewmates floated listlessly in front of her.

(00l00)

Nelson watched quietly as the flight crew walked through the procedures to deploy the gantry system. Each man had now carried out the activity, and all appeared comfortable with deploying the device. They had been at it for nearly two hours since Lee had joined them after contacting ONI with Kendal's information. As the engineering techs began repacking the gantry in the asbestos cocoon for another run-through, Harri's cell phone began to ring.

He looked quickly at the caller ID and was immediately concerned seeing NASA on the display. "Nelson," he answered after the second ring.

"Harri, Grant Majors. We have a problem. We've lost contact with the Space Station. We've been trying to talk to them for the last 90 minutes, with no luck."

"Has something happened to the station?" Harri asked.

"According to our telemetry on the internal systems, everything is still operational. There's been no change in orbit or attitude, so they haven't been hit by anything again. Given what ONI just told us, we think something has occurred inside the station," Grant reported.

"Damn, I was afraid of that. Have you been able to spot the attacking spacecraft yet?"

"Yes, finally. There is a craft maneuvering towards the Space Station. By our best estimates they'll be in a position to link up in about 12 to 13 hours. Harri, if that happens, the Space Station…" The line seemed to go dead for quite some time.

"The Space Station will what?!" Nelson fumed, immediately afraid of what Majors would say.

"The um… Space Station will be eliminated by a missile launched from Earth," Majors continued. "The powers that be will not allow those two experiments to fall into enemy hands."

Harri closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as his worst fears were confirmed. He stood motionless and silent, momentarily frozen by rage.

"Harri did you hear me? Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here," he replied in a low and deadly tone.

"I'm so sorry, Harri. If it's any consolation, we're sick about this too," Majors added.

"No, it's no GOD DAMN CONSOLATION, that you're upset by this as well!" he ground out. He thought quickly for a moment as he watched the various crews work through their preparations. "Grant, I think we can get there within 11 hours if we push it. Most of our prep is done, and the flight crew is receiving their instructions and running through deploying and operating the new equipment."

"Seriously?" Grant inquired, a glimmer of hope evident in his voice.

"Yes. Let me go inform my people to push through their final preparations, and I'll give you a call back when we're ready to launch."

"Copy that Admiral. I'll go inform my command chain. We'll be standing by for your call."

Harri terminated the call, lamenting the fact he didn't have an old flip phone or hand receiver he could slam down to vent some measure of his frustration and anger. He turned and stalked over to where Lee, Chip, and Jamie were working with the techs. As they spotted him, they all stopped what they were doing knowing instantly, by the expression on his face, something had gone horribly wrong.

"What's the matter, sir?" Lee asked, as Harri drew near.

"They've lost communications with the Space Station, about 90 minutes ago. According to their telemetry there have been no changes in the station operations, so they're fairly certain that our mole has taken some action. They've also located the spacecraft and found it maneuvering to synch its flight path so they can hook up with the station. They estimate between 12 and 13 hours for rendezvous. I was also informed if that occurs they fully intend to destroy the Space Station to prevent whoever is up there from getting what's in those containers," Nelson growled.

"Shit!" responded Lee and Chip. "Damn it!" fumed Jamie.

Harri scrutinized their reaction closely and it didn't slip by him that they seemed to know the station would be destroyed if the other side got there first. His eyes narrowed. "Am I the only one who didn't know about the destruction order if this all went south?"

Lee inhaled deeply then blew out a heavy sigh. "Yes, sir. I was informed by Admiral Hardy yesterday evening that that was the plan if we failed. He ordered me not to reveal that information. I did disobey orders and told Chip and Jamie because we could easily become collateral damage if we're too close when the missile impacts the station. I wanted to give them the opportunity to change their minds given that potential event."

Nelson glowered at his son. "And you didn't feel you could tell me because…?"

Lee squirmed momentarily then fixed his stance and met Harri's gaze evenly. "Because most likely you would have gone off on Admiral Hardy once you heard the news. Sir, I did enough of that myself, to the point of being insubordinate. He told me to suck it up because it was out of both our hands. He also said he didn't need the distraction of dealing with you should you find out. My apologies, sir, I should have told you anyway."

Nelson let loose a low growl knowing that's exactly how he would have reacted had Lee told him. He appreciated Lee's loyalty to his men by offering them the opportunity to stay home, and to some degree shielding Hardy from his outrage, but was chagrined to think Lee didn't think he could control his temper.

"We'll talk about this later," he said fixing Crane with a harsh glare. "I informed Majors that we were all but ready to lift off. Do you three feel comfortable enough with the operations of the vessel, your suits, and the equipment to depart immediately?"

All three nodded yes. Harri turned and spotted Janet King standing with her techs, who had quickly moved out of the line of fire when he approached. He waved her over.

"Janet, can FS-1 be launched immediately?" he inquired.

"Why? What's happened?" she asked. Before Harri could respond she continued. "Give me an hour and we can support that. We just need to verify everything is in place and ready to go."

Harri smiled. "Excellent. In answer to your question, Janet, they've lost contact with the Space Station, and they want us to get there ASAP in case something has gone wrong."

"Understood. Lee, Jamie, Chip, we need to start getting you suited up right away. If you'll head to the locker room, my team will help you into your suits, then escort you to FS-1 and get you strapped in and on line." Janet waved her tech back over. "John, get the rest of the flight support team down here ASAP. Get the flight crew in their suits and ready to fly, you have 30 minutes."

John's eyes got huge at the tasking. He gulped hard. "I'm on it Janet," he replied, then grabbed his phone and started making calls as he headed for the locker room, followed closely by the flight team.

"I'll get the rest of my team busy on sealing up the gantry and making final preparations for launch. I'll let you know if I run into any problems," Janet said as she pulled out her phone and mobilized the rest of her staff.

Nelson immediately activated his phone and called Patrick Dunn. "Patrick, Nelson here. Mission Control has lost contact with the Space Station, and we need to launch within the next hour and use the quickest flight path that will get us there. Generate the appropriate flight operations data at once and have it ready for Crane and Morton." Receiving the response he expected, Harri smiled. "See you shortly, Nelson out."

(00l00)

The subterranean subpen became a flurry of activity as the various teams descended on FS-1 and the flight crew. Although rushed to complete their tasks, and get both craft and crew ready for flight, attention to detail was the watchword. Every system, be it on FS-1, or on the spacesuits, was checked and rechecked. Once the first team completed their task, a second team evaluated what had been done with fresh eyes, making sure nothing had been missed.

With the last connection verified, the flight crew support team gave the three astronauts a thumb's up indicating they were ready to fly. Lee nodded and looked over at his crew trying to gauge their readiness. Chip and Jamie both gave him a nod and a small smile.

"Well, let's do this thing," Lee said as he began to stand with the aid of the support team. Jamie and Chip likewise stood. As they strode purposefully out of the locker room towards FS-1 Chip chuckled.

"What?" asked Jamie.

"Oh, I was just flashing back to the various space movies, and was picturing us walking in slow motion with dramatic music swelling to a bold crescendo as we reached FS-1 and climbed in. I'm kind of disappointed."

Lee, Jamie, and the rest of the support team just rolled their eyes, then laughed. "I'm sure it will be handled when the video is properly edited," Lee quipped.

As they reached FS-1, Nelson was there to greet them, as was what looked like the entire crew of Seaview. Harri gave them a tight-lipped smile and quick nod trying to encourage them, while knowing what risks they all faced in this unprecedented voyage. "All ready to go?"

"Yes, sir," all three answered.

"Excellent. Thank you all again for taking this on. I see nothing but success coming out of this mission. You've had the best engineering teams available, and there's not a better flight team around."

"Thank you, sir," Lee answered for the team. "I couldn't agree more."

Harri nodded, then extended his hand. Lee quickly grabbed it and gave it a firm shake. Harri pulled him into a quick hug. "You be damn careful up there, Son," he whispered in his ear.

"I will, Dad," Lee whispered back as he gave Harri a hearty pat on the back.

Harri offered his hand to Chip and likewise pulled him into a strong embrace. "You be damn careful too, lad."

"Aye, sir. I'll keep a weathered eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Chip joked as he returned Nelson's hug.

Harri once more offered his had to Jamie, and pulled him into an embrace as well. "You take care, Will, and keep them both in line."

"Count on it, Harri." Will replied as he patted Harri on the back.

They all stood there for a moment, as what they intended to do really hit home. They took one long last look at the subpen, and the people around them who had busted their butts to make this happen, and smiled.

"All right, let's saddle up people," Lee said, then turned and entered FS-1. Fifteen minutes later, they were securely belted in and all systems were go. Lee activated his mic. "We are ready for launch."

"Copy that, FS-1," Sharkey replied over the headset and activated the overhead crane that gently raised FS-1 off the deck and placed it carefully in the water. Once the small sub was afloat everyone drew in a deep breath. "Disengaging crane. Have a good flight and Godspeed." The transport straps were released freeing FS-1 to depart.

"Copy, Chief, and thank you," Crane replied. He then powered up the engines and he and Chip verified everything was green. "NIMR, we are a go. We'll see you in about 12 hours."

"Copy that FS-1. Good luck, son," Nelson answered, having donned his own headset. "We'll be keeping a close eye on you, as will NASA. Keep the line open."

"Will do, Harri. See you soon," Lee responded. He flipped another switch tying in NASA. "Mission Control, this FS-1, do you copy?"

"Copy FS-1, this is Mission Control."

"We are ready to depart," Lee informed them.

"Copy FS-1. We show the area clear of traffic. You may launch when ready," Major's replied.

"Roger, Mission Control. We are exiting NIMR now. Will give you a call when we are ready to initiate our take off," Lee answered. He drew in a deep breath then turned to regard his crew. "You gentlemen ready to rock and roll?"

"Aye, Skipper," Chip answered. "Ready when you are, Captain," Jamie added.

"Okay; no turning back now," he responded with a smile. "Let's do this, Chip."

(00l00)

Lee grabbed the control sticks and gently pushed them forward. The engines answered immediately and slowly propelled the little sub forward and out of the hidden subpen. Once clear of the facility, Lee increased speed as they made their way past the breakwater into the open ocean.

"Mission Control, we are a go. Ready to start our take off run now."

"Copy FS-1. Air traffic has been rerouted around the area, you have permission to start your run. Have a safe flight."

"Copy Mission Control. Starting our run now." Lee pushed the throttle forward and smoothly increased the speed of FS-1. She glided effortlessly across the ocean surface then gracefully lifted off and began her ascent for the heavens.

"Mission Control, we have lift off," Lee reported. He evenly increased the pressure on the throttle increasing FS-1's speed as they shot upwards. "How's it looking, Chip?"

"Everything is in the green, all systems operating as they should be," Chip reported.

As their speed increased, Lee prepared to engage the supersonic thrusters shooting them through the sound barrier. The force of their steep rise pushed the crew deep into their seats. "You doing okay, Jamie?" Lee asked.

"Hanging in there, Skipper," Jamie ground out, having never experienced the jump to supersonic flight.

"All right, here we go," Lee said as he reached to flip the switch activating the thrusters.

"Damn it!" Chip swore. "We got a bogie on our tail."

"What?! You can't be serious?!" Lee exclaimed as he looked over the radar screen. "Shit! Mission Control, we are tracking an apparent surface to air missile closing in on us. Initiating evasive maneuvers now. Hold on everyone, this is going to get bumpy."

Lee banked sharply to starboard and increased speed trying to evade the missile. It easily kept pace as it had locked in on their heat signature. He continued with a rapid series of evasive maneuvers, each slamming the crew inside. Finding none of his moves completely successful, he banked hard to port then initiated a textbook barrel roll as the missile shot by the underside of FS-1. Seeing the missile bypass them, Lee quickly leveled out, then nosed FS-1 up and hit the thrusters.

FS-1 responded immediately hammering them all deeply into their seats as the supersonic thrusters kicked in, eliciting a grunt of pain from the flight crew inside. They shot straight up leaving the missile lagging behind. They passed quickly through the various layers of the atmosphere until they found themselves floating freely in space.

"Chip is it still on us?" Lee asked.

"Scope is clear, you lost it. Great flying bro," Chip answered.

Lee shut off the thrusters and ever so gently reversed the engines slowing their speed. As they adjusted to being in space, and gained control over their craft, they all let out a relieved sigh. "Is everyone all right?" Where the hell did that come from?" Lee asked Chip, forgetting momentarily his transmission was being heard by both NIMR and Mission Control.

"I'm good Lee," Chip replied. Lee gave him a quick nod.

"I'm seriously shaken, but I'm doing okay," Jamie added, his anxiety very evident in his voice.

Lee looked behind him and smiled at the doctor. "Glad to hear that, Jamie. Good to see you didn't foul the inside of your helmet," Lee joked. Jamie glared at him a moment then smiled in relief that it was all over.

"FS-1 this is Mission Control, glad you're still with us. We've got a point of origin somewhere off the coast of California, and are mobilizing assets at this time to track the vessel down," Majors responded. "Nice flying by the way, Captain."

"Hell of a job flying," added Nelson over the line. "Well done Lee. Are you all okay?"

"We're good and we are safely in space," Lee replied. "I'm not sure I would recommend the addition of evasive maneuvers to future launches, it really plays with the mind."

"And the body," Jamie threw in.

"What's your status, FS-1?" Grant asked.

"I've got control of the craft and now need to fix our position relative to the Space Station and compute the vectors to meet up. We aren't where we had planned on being," Lee replied. He looked over at Chip and saw him working rapidly to input information to get the answer to Lee's question.

"We're running those numbers for you right now, Captain," Majors replied. "Hold one."

"Copy Mission Control," Lee responded. As they waited, Chip got the answer from FS-1's computers and read the coordinates off to Lee, who entered them in his terminal. A minute later Grant relayed a series of numbers which matched exactly to those Chip had provided from their computer.

"We have an exact match, Grant," Lee said. "Good to know our system is working correctly. Kudos to the NIMR astrophysics team." He then hit the enter button getting an almost instantaneous readout on course and speed to meet up with the Space Station in the shortest time possible.

Their little skirmish had added about an hour to their rendezvous time, but all things considered that was acceptable. "Initiating rendezvous sequence now," Lee informed Mission Control. "Estimated time of arrival is 6 hours 46 minutes."

"Copy that FS-1. Status of the Space Station is unchanged."

"Copy that," Lee responded. "Will contact you again once we have the station in sight. FS-1 out."

Lee glanced over at Chip and shared a relieved look as FS-1's autopilot took over and began moving the ship closer to the Space Station. They both looked back at Jamie and gave him quick smile, which was readily returned.

"I'd say that that was rather definitive proof the bad guys know we're coming and it was Bergdahl keying them in. I just hope we can beat them there and be long gone before they arrive," Lee said. The other two men nodded.

"ONI come up with any reason for her actions?" Jamie asked.

"Not that I heard before we left. I almost hope that she was brainwashed and this is being done completely against her will. If she isn't, I'm sure by now she's truly regretting setting them all up. My guess is she counted on them being able to escape in the capsule and not having anyone suspect she had any part in this."

"If that's the case, I wonder if damage to the capsule was intentional, so they could eliminate any loose ends once it was discovered there were missing experiments. Or maybe they plan to blow the Space Station up, to hide their handiwork," Chip postulated.

"Oh, you're a cheery ray of sunshine," Lee replied. He'd already considered that scenario and had listed it as the most likely plan. "Let's just pray we get there first, because if we aren't, the Space Station is history regardless."

Jamie and Chip nodded grimly realizing Lee was right. The men sat back in their seats and watched the Earth pass beneath them as they hurried towards their rendezvous with the Space Station and hopefully rescue of their friend.

(00l00)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

With FS-1 now safely in space, Nelson blew out a sigh of relief, then slammed his fist down hard on the desk. "Damn it! Where the hell did that missile come from?" Nelson fumed. He had had the radio transmission put on the loudspeaker so all the in subpen could hear their team's progress. As he looked around the subpen, he realized that the majority of the crew had assembled to see their crewmates off and they all had expressions of concern and anger on their faces at what had just occurred. He quickly spotted O'Brien and Sparks.

"Sparks!" he called out.

"Yes, sir," Sparks responded immediately.

"Get on the horn with Mission Control and find out the source of that missile. I'm betting it's somewhere off the coast."

"I'm on it, sir," Sparks replied and hurried off to the radio room.

"O'Brien," Nelson called out next and motioned for the man to join him.

"Aye, sir."

"Bobby, by the looks of it we've got a full crew here. Find Sharkey and get everybody rounded up and on Seaview, we shove off in an hour. I'm betting whoever fired that first missile will be lurking around to fire off a second shot once our team comes back to Earth. I want us to be there to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Yes, sir," O'Brien replied then quickly spun on his heel to locate Sharkey and get them working on carrying out the admiral's order. Once O'Brien located Sharkey, the order was passed faster than scuttlebutt and the entire company mobilized towards the exit and Seaview. Nelson smiled in appreciation of his crew and their willingness to protect their shipmates and kick a little ass in retribution.

"Admiral," Sparks called out as he hurried across the subpen. "Sir, they have tracked the missile to a location about 200 miles off the coast. They believe that is was fired from a sub since there is no surface traffic in the area. I've got their estimated coordinates."

"Excellent Sparks. Get with O'Brien and pass that on, we're sailing within the hour," Nelson ordered.

"Aye, sir," Sparks acknowledged. "Do you think they'll still be there by the time we get there?"

"I'm betting they will remain in the vicinity if they're as keyed in to what we're doing as I think they are, they will already know the plan is to have FS-1 return to San Diego. I think we can sneak in there, and give them an equally rude surprise when they get ready to launch their second missile," Nelson replied. "I'm heading up to my office to make a couple of calls. Let O'Brien know, and to get in touch with me immediately if he runs into any problems."

"Yes, sir," Sparks answered then spun on his heel and headed off to Seaview to pass on his information, and ensure his duty station was fully operational and ready to support the mission.

Harri hurried across the subpen and up the hidden staircase to the Admin building. Once inside he grabbed the elevator up to his office and all but flew down the hallway, startling Angie as he burst into the room. He smiled a bit, chagrined at scaring her. "Angie, get me Jiggs Starke on the phone, now."

"Yes, sir, right away." The news that FS-1 had been fired on had already traveled up to the Admin building, so they were all on alert to support whatever the Seaview team needed. In less than a minute she had Starke on the line. "Admiral Starke is on line one for you, Admiral."

Harri looked somewhat surprised at how quickly she had worked through the communication maze to COMSUBPAC. "Thanks, Angie. I don't want to be disturbed unless it's O'Brien."

"Yes sir."

Nelson hit the button on his phone connecting him with Starke. "Jiggs, Nelson here."

"Hi Harri. What can I do for you?"

"Jiggs, I'm sure you already know that FS-1 was fired upon following her take off for space. From what I've heard, it most likely came from a sub off the coast of California. I've got my team scrambling right now for immediate launch of Seaview. We intend to get out in the vicinity, track down those bastards and see to it they don't get another missile in the air. Can you give me any more information on the probable location and what assets you've already got in the region?"

"Yeah, Harri I heard. We're scrambling a destroyer, and two cruisers out of NavSta San Diego and have a full host of ASW aircraft in the air already trying to track the bastards down. I don't have a sub I can commit to the hunt, so your participation is quite welcome. Thus far we haven't heard a damn thing, which makes me think they've bottomed the boat and are just waiting for your bird to fly home," Starke replied.

"That's what I think too. I think aside from a mole on the Space Station, there's someone else feeding them information from inside Mission Control, or one of the other nations that have personnel on the station, and are tied into the flow of information. I'm torn between recommending an alternate landing site, and wanting to keep it as is so we can nail them the minute they go active," Nelson responded.

"Those are damn close to my thoughts as well. Given my druthers, I'd have them still come into North Island, because we have the assets mobilized to intercept anything they might throw at us."

"I've been leaning that way too. It poses a risk to FS-1, but I think it gives us the best option for retaliation…I mean intervention," Nelson quickly corrected.

Jiggs chuckled on the other end of the phone. It was rare to get Nelson so riled up that revenge trumped justice, and all that took was posing a threat to Crane and the rest of his NIMR family. "I hear you Harri. I'm going to contact the CNO and recommend that return information be dialed down to the bare minimum, so it will be a hell of a lot easier to identify where the leak is coming from. Also, I'll recommend we implement the highest security protocols we have to shut the leak down. We'll throw a net over Mission Control, limiting who knows the exact time of arrival and bring in a host of ONI, CID, CIA, and FBI agents to maintain constant covert surveillance over those who are trusted with that data."

"Thanks, Jiggs," Nelson said. "I appreciate the support."

"You're welcome, Harri. I know how much those people mean to you, and I'll make sure we take every step possible to protect them after the risks they're taking for us. I'll give you a shout once I've talked with CNO."

"We should be shoving off in about 30 minutes and will go silent once we've cleared the breakwater. You can transmit, but we won't acknowledge to protect our approach," Nelson replied.

"Copy that. You take care and we'll get your boy back safe and sound."

Nelson hung up the phone, then hurriedly gathered up a few things he thought he'd need for the voyage. He then grabbed his cover and briefcase, and headed out the door.

"Angie, I'm going back down to Seaview. If Grant Majors calls before we shove off, patch it through, otherwise take a message and transmit it to me; we'll be running silent once we've cleared the breakwater to keep our presence in the area as quiet as possible."

"Yes, Admiral," Angie replied. "Be careful sir, and give 'em what for."

Nelson smiled and gave her a quick salute as he exited the office and made his way down to Seaview.

Upon his arrival at the dock, he found the only thing they were waiting for was him. Lt. O'Brien met him at the gantry and provided a quick status report as they made their way to the sail and descended into the Control Room. As he touched down, he quickly scanned the area and found all the stations manned and ready for departure.

He gave a quick nod, then walked to the chart table removing his jacket and cover, then passed them to the rating along with his briefcase to be taken to his quarters. "Well done, Mr. O'Brien, well done to you all," he said loud enough for the Control Room staff to hear. "Let's be on our way with all due haste. Once we've cleared the breakwater, takes us to these coordinates as quickly and quietly as possible."

O'Brien took the slip of paper, looked at it briefly then began issuing orders for them to depart the dock. Within 15 minutes they were slowly making their way out of the dock area towards open ocean. Once clear of the breakwater, Bobby gave the order to dive the boat and implemented silent running protocols.

As they quickly slipped below the surface, Nelson took another look at the Control Room crew, and found a serious and determined look on all of their faces. They would make damn sure they were there to prevent the enemy sub from firing on FS-1, and give them a taste of their own medicine to boot.

(00l00)

Agneta floated silently in the station. There were none of the familiar voices or the sounds of anyone rustling around carrying out their various tasks. It had taken on the feeling of a tomb, locked in an unending night. She wrapped her arms around her knees trying desperately to ward off her feelings of impending doom.

She nearly screamed when the small transmitter chirped, signaling an incoming transmission from Alpha. She hands fumbled with the snap on her pocket as she tried to remove the device. Finally, able to compose herself enough to manipulate the snap, she removed the device and toggled it on, no longer concerned about whether anyone else on the Space Station could hear.

"Sigma, this is Alpha, come in."

"Sigma here, go ahead Alpha," she responded to the hail.

"We are preparing to begin docking operations, what is your status?"

Agneta let loose a depressed sigh. "Entry to the station is clear. The other two crewmates are unconscious and will pose no problem," she reported.

"Excellent. Prepare for our arrival. Docking should commence in 45 minutes. Have the experiment modules ready for immediate removal."

"What's the status of the rescue flight?" Neta asked.

"They are enroute. Our forces were unable to destroy the craft as it launched."

Agneta's eyes grew wide at that bit of information. She knew at that moment they had had no intention of ever letting them live; the damage to the capsule had been quite intentional. Despite her actions, she wanted very much to live and wanted her crewmates to do the same. She needed to stall for time, to allow Kendal's friends the opportunity to arrive and hopefully be able to rescue them.

"I'm going to need assistance freeing the largest of the two modules," Agneta informed them. "I tried removing it myself, but it's secured in such a way that one person can't get it out of the containment slot."

"Copy that, Sigma," Alpha replied. "We will assist you, have all the tools necessary to remove the item available, so we can get this done as quickly as possible. Alpha out."

"Bastards!" Agneta swore. Now knowing they intended for them all to die, she was determined they would get nothing for their effort. She grabbed a screwdriver and some super glue and headed back to the storage area to hopefully deny them their prize.

Arriving at the first experiment module, she eased the screwdriver tip under the data plate on the front and carefully pried it off. She did the same thing with the second item, then pried the data plates off two other modules that were of the same approximate size. She quickly applied the glue to the back of the plates and adhered them to the other containers, then more obviously marked the decoy containers so they would be easy to identify by the PR astronauts. She pulled out the larger decoy and slathered it liberally with the super glue and shoved back into the slot.

"Let's see you get that out, assholes!" she swore.

She then did a quick review of all the containers to make sure the real ones didn't stand out from the other experiments. She scratched several of the other containers to disguise her previous work. Once done, she returned her supplies and floated up to the Control Room to keep an eye out for the capsule. Thirty minutes later she spotted the capsule as it neared the Space Station and began maneuvering to make the connection. Fear washed over her as she watched them slowly line up and begin coupling with the station.

(00l00)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Within minutes, Agneta felt the slight shudder as the capsuled nudged up against the docking ring of the station. She swallowed hard and moved out of the Control Room and down to the docking bay. She heard the soft hiss of the airlock opening and watched as the PR astronauts slowly emerged into the Space Station. One had a small box about the size of a lunch box in his hand, she assumed it was probably tools to help extract the module.

She said nothing as they exchanged glances. "Sigma?" the lead astronaut inquired.

"Yes, I'm Sigma," Agneta replied and pushed back out of their way.

Alpha looked quickly around the entry area and then at Agneta. "I am Alpha, this is Tau. Where are your crewmates?"

"Both are in the sleeping area. I heavily sedated one and the other has been unconscious since your attack on us," she relayed.

"Good. Where are the experiment modules?" Alpha inquired.

"They're back this way," Agneta replied as she turned and began working her way back to storage area. "The smaller one is easily removed, but the big one seems to be locked in place and I'm unable to get it out."

"There was no report of that from our operative," Alpha responded dubiously.

Agneta shrugged. "All I know is I can't get it out. Maybe you two can."

Alpha and the other man moved to the module Agneta indicated. Alpha nodded to the other indicating the number was correct. He moved the corner retention clips out of the way, then grabbed the handle and pulled. Nothing happened as the module remained immobile in the slot. The other man came over, put down the small carrying case, grabbed onto the handle as well and they both pulled with the same result.

"Rho said nothing about the module being locked into position," Tau said.

"Maybe he didn't know. Look for any place where a key or other implement can be inserted to release it," Alpha ordered. Tau moved closer and lowered himself towards the deck as he scrutinized the unit from top to bottom.

"There's nothing here," Tau said. "The only other thing I can think of is that the release is somehow controlled via the station computer."

Agneta shook her head. "I don't know anything about that," she replied. "We only had access to the computer programs that related to our individual projects. Kendal might have had access, but I doubt it. This unit has been here since before we arrived, and she never once worked on it during her time here, to my knowledge."

Alpha's eyes narrowed. "Where is she?"

"I told you, I had to heavily sedate her to keep her out of your way," Bergdahl responded.

Alpha growled. "Tau, see if you can find something we can use to pry that out." Tau nodded then reached down and picked up the carrying case he had brought aboard. He moved forward towards the Control Room to begin his search. "You, take me to Ferguson."

Agneta nodded then swallowed hard fearing what they might do to Kendal.

(00l00)

"Look ahead," Lee said as he spied the Space Station. They all smiled at having reached their goal. As Lee continued to watch the station he suddenly swore. "Shit!"

"What?" Chip asked, as he looked up from the control panel.

"Look there, on the starboard end. The pirates are already there," he said pointing out the second capsule.

"Damn it!" Chip replied. "So, what do we do now? That's where we needed to hook up."

Lee quickly deactivated the autopilot and stopped their progress. He then activated the thrusters himself and they slowly began to circle the station.

"FS-1, this is Mission Control. We show your autopilot is off, is everything okay?"

Lee pointedly ignored the summons as he continued looking for some other means of getting on the station. When the hail repeated again, he flipped off the radio.

"You're not going to answer that?" Jamie asked.

Lee shook his head. "Not at the moment," Lee answered. "The last thing we want them knowing is that the PR already has access to the station. They will begin the launch sequence immediately. I want all the time I can get to rescue Kendal and the others." Jamie nodded his agreement with Lee's decision.

As they completed their circuit of the Space Station, they came up on the PR capsule again. "Chip, here's your chance to try out the admiral's enhancements to the laser. Take out their engines," Lee ordered. "Try not to alert them to our presence, pinpoint accuracy is the key here."

An evil smile spread across Chip's face. "Aye, aye, sir," he acknowledged. He immediately activated the laser unit and then lowered the targeting system. He unbuckled his harness, floated out of his seat, and eased his way behind the sights. He dialed in the sights and narrowed the beam so that he could disable the engines without igniting the fuel. Once sighted in, he depressed the trigger and a fine red beam shot out from the weapon and began cutting though the engine assembly on the other craft.

As Chip sliced through the enemy capsule engine housing an idea suddenly occurred to Lee. It would be risky, but it would get them access to the Space Station and hopefully enable them to rescue the crew without alerting those inside to their presence until it was too late.

"Mission complete, Skipper," he replied.

"Nice work, Chip," Lee responded. "Hold on, I think I've got us a way in."

"How?" Chip said as grabbed the back of Lee's seat.

Lee pushed the throttle gently forward and FS-1 made its way back to the damaged capsule. "There," Lee said pointing at the ragged hole in the side of the capsule. "We're going to go in through the hole in the side of the capsule and enter the Space Station through that access hatch."

Jamie and Chip both stared at the damaged capsule and then back at Lee. "Seriously?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, seriously. Chip get back on the laser and see if you can make that hole a little larger and less ragged so we can get in with our tanks on. If you can't, we're going to have to take them off, slip through the hole then put them back on."

Chip nodded, moved to the targeting unit and began surgically burning away the rough edges and enlarging the already gaping hole.

"And what do you want me to do?" Jamieson inquired.

"You're going to stay aboard and make sure FS-1 is here when we come back. You also need to monitor the radio. If it turns out this goes bad, then strap in, hit this button and FS-1 will take you safely to NAS North Island," Lee replied.

"I'm not leaving you here," Will replied emphatically.

"That's an order, Jamie. It serves no one for you to go down with us and those on the station. You're also going to be the voice of reason to Mission Control, staying their hand from depressing the launch button on that missile."

Jamieson nodded indicating he'd comply, but the expression on his face said he was none too happy about it.

"Thanks, Will," Lee said as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Done!" Chip announced as he powered down the laser and retracted the targeting unit into the overhead compartment.

Lee and Jamie moved forward and looked out the window. "Nice job, Chip," Lee said. "I think we can get in and out of there pretty easily. All right, you two pull out our EVA gear from the moon pool well, and I'll contact Mission Control and let them know what's going on."

Morton and Jamieson jumped into action unsealing and pulling back the deck plate over the moon pool. Lee flipped the radio back on and resumed contact with Mission Control.

"Mission Control, this is FS-1."

"FS-1, this is Mission Control. Are you all right?! Why didn't you respond?" Majors inquired.

"Yes, we're fine. I must have bumped the radio switch as I was preparing to maneuver around the Space Station," Lee answered. Chip's and Jamie's heads snapped up as they each shot him a smirk and rolled their eyes. "We are at the Space Station, but we've run into a problem."

"Yeah, right, Crane," Majors replied, seeing right through Lee's subterfuge. "What kind of problem do you have?"

"The PR capsule is attached to the docking bay we were going to use. The best we are able to determine, they are already aboard. We've taken measures to prevent their departure by disabling their craft. They will not be departing with anything from the station. Do you copy Mission Control?"

There was a moment of silence as those at Mission Control digested Lee's report. "Copy that FS-1. Have you figured a way to gain entry?"

"Affirmative, Mission Control. Commander Morton and I will conduct an EVA going from FS-1 into the capsule damaged during the attack. There is a huge hole in the side, and Mr. Morton has enlarged it with the laser to permit us to make it through with all our gear, and gain access through the main hatch to the Space Station. One question; will we be at significant risk from radiation?"

There was a break as the question was relayed to the Flight Surgeon. "Copy FS-1. You should be exposed to minimal radiation at this stage of the station's orbit, but no dawdling. We'll remotely disable the alarms on the door, so you can get in silently."

Lee smiled, thrilled to know their job just got a lot easier. "Copy that Mission Control, dawdling will be kept to a minimum. Dr. Jamieson will remain aboard FS-1, and be your point of contact while we're making our way in. Should something go wrong inside, FS-1 has been programmed to return to North Island. Please take no actions against the Space Station without first contacting Jamieson," Lee stated.

"Since you say you've disabled the PR craft, we will honor your request, FS-1. Good luck and be careful," Majors replied.

"Thanks, Grant. We're starting to gear up now and will proceed shortly. Jamie will keep you up to date on our progress. Crane out."

(00l00)

As Alpha and Agneta made their way back to the sleeping quarters, Tau began ransacking the Space Station looking for anything that he could use to pry the module out of its case. Given there was no perceived need to pry anything out, his options were very limited.

While he looked, Alpha moved next to Kendal. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously eliciting little more than a moan. "How much did you give her?" Alpha demanded.

"It was a hefty dose meant to keep her out for at least 24 hours," Agneta replied. "You said you wanted no interference, so I took you at your word."

Alpha glared at her and growled. He next started slapping Kendal across the face hoping the pain would jar her out of her chemically induced sleep. She resisted a bit and tried to turn away. Encouraged by her response, Alpha slapped her harder eliciting a flutter of her eyelids and a bloody nose.

"Stop it!" Agneta yelled. "You're hurting her." She moved to impose herself between her unconscious crewmate and the increasingly violent Alpha.

He shoved her out of his way hard and continued assaulting Kendal. As she failed to respond to any more of his attack, he turned on Agneta. "Do you have anything aboard that will counteract your sedative?" he inquired testily. Time was growing short and they had to get their prize and leave.

"Not that I know of," she replied. "I guess I could look to see if there are any stimulants in the medical kit."

"Do it!" he snarled, then shoved Kendal across the room into the bulkhead. "Tau! Have you had any luck in finding something to pry that unit out with?"

"No," Tau called back. "There's nothing even remotely useful that I've found so far. Would there be anything in the capsule?"

"No," Alpha responded as he ground his teeth in frustration. This was turning out to be anything but the easy in and out they had planned on. "Well, Sigma? Have you found anything to wake Ferguson up?"

"I found a mild stimulant, but I don't know how much good it will do," she reported.

"Bring it and inject the entire vial into her. We have to have her awake to free the module, so we can get out of here before the rescue team arrives," Alpha fumed.

Agneta nodded and inserted the needle into the vial and drew the entire contents into the syringe. She floated back to Kendal's side, took her arm and injected the contents into her blood stream.

"How long will this take?" Alpha asked.

"I have no idea. I'm not a physician and I've never used this stuff before. We have to give it at least a few minutes to work."

Alpha glared at her. "Tau, any luck yet?!" he yelled in frustration.

(00l00)


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Once Lee finished pulling on his tanks and securing the harness, Jamie moved over, attached the hoses, and cracked open the tanks. Lee gave him a thumb's up as the air flowed into his helmet. He then did the same thing for Chip and received the same acknowledgement that the system was operating as designed.

"Jamie, open that small storage locker next to the bunk," Lee ordered. Jamieson nodded and floated over to the cabinet and pulled it open. He looked inside and smiled. He then reached in and pulled out two laser guns. He handed one to Lee and the other to Chip.

"Thanks," Lee said accepting the gun. He quickly tucked it between the tank harness and his suit and gave it a couple of tugs making sure it wouldn't come out. Chip followed suit securing his own weapon.

"I think we're all set," Lee said over his helmet mic. "We both can't fit in the airlock comfortably, so I'll go first. Once I'm out and hooked in, I'll let you know, then Chip can follow."

"Okay, Skipper," Jamie answered. He moved out of the way and allowed Lee to enter the dive well, then lay flat so they could close the doors. Once the door was securely shut and Lee was ready to leave, he pounded on the upper hatch twice.

"Here goes," Jamie said as he locked eyes with Chip. He depressed the button and the bottom hatch slid dutifully open.

As the door opened, Lee involuntarily gasped as he saw the Earth floating in the endless darkness all around him. It took him a brief moment to get over his awe and wonder at the sight.

"Lee?! Lee, are you okay?!" Chip called out, somewhat panicked at the gasp and then the delay in response.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lee said with a chuckle. "It's quite a view out here, and it just kind of took my breath away. I'm hooking on now and I'm clear of the hatch. All systems are operating properly. Come on out and play, Chip."

"Must be one hell of a view to shut him up," Chip joked with Jamie.

"I heard that Morton," Lee deadpanned.

They all enjoyed the laugh, despite the gravity of their task, as Jamie closed the outer hatch. Once the indicator light was green, Chip pulled open the deck hatch and climbed in. When he was in position, he gave Jamie the okay sign and Jamieson lowered the hatch and locked it. Jamie heard the two knocks indicating Chip's readiness to leave, then opened the outer hatch releasing him into space.

As Chip floated free of FS-1, and got his first view of the outside, Lee smiled knowingly at the astounded look on Chip's face. He seemed to hyperventilate for a brief moment then regained his calm. "Wow, you weren't kidding," Chip remarked as he locked eyes with Lee.

"I know. Seeing it out the window is one thing, but being released into space with nothing around you, you suddenly feel so small and insignificant," Lee replied. "Is everything good?"

Chip quickly checked all his gauges and nodded. "Everything is green."

"Jamie, we're going over to the capsule now. Keep an eye on things, and no joy rides," Lee said.

"Copy that Skipper. You really know how to kill my fun," Jamie joked back.

"All right, Chip, let's go."

They both pushed off from FS-1 and aimed for the gaping hole in the small capsule beneath them. Even though they were securely tethered to FS-1, it still seemed a leap of faith moving away from their only way home. They quickly reached the capsule and grabbed on tightly as they shared quick grins at having secured their goal.

"Okay, I'll go in first," Lee said. He carefully began working his way into the damaged capsule carefully, so as not to catch his suit on anything that could possibly rip through the multiple layers and expose him to the vacuum of space. Once inside he conducted a quick recon of the capsule, and located the hatch they needed to use to get into the station. When he was satisfied that everything was okay he called Chip in. Chip worked his way in with equal care, and once inside gave Lee the okay sign.

The capsule was completely dark having lost all of its power feeds from the Space Station when the hull was breached. Lee quickly shined his light through the window in the exit hatch illuminating the airlock on the other side. The other door had been shut as a safety measure to prevent any leaks. Lee smiled, knowing they wouldn't have to worry about setting off any alarms when they breached a seal.

He detached his tether and hooked onto one of the consoles in the capsule, as did Chip. "Here we go," Lee said as he slowly turned the latch and pulled open the hatch door. There was a brief cloud of mist as the atmosphere in the chamber was released. They froze momentarily waiting for the sound of any alarms. Everything remained quiet, and they both blew out a sigh of relief.

Lee entered, quickly followed by Chip. Chip pulled the door to the capsule shut, sealing them in the airlock between the two vessels. "Hatch secured, Skipper," he said quietly.

Lee nodded then hit the illuminated red button on the Space Station side of the airlock that would pressurize the chamber and give them entry. Again, they held their breath waiting for any alarms, or other indicators they were coming aboard. When the indicator button turned green telling them the chamber was pressurized and could now be opened, they both released their breath.

Before activating the hatch, Lee pulled out his gun, as did Chip. He then depressed the button and heard a muted metallic clank and soft hiss, as the door slowly slid open. They both smiled broadly as the door slid smoothly out of their way. They were in!

(00l00)

It had been nearly 10 minutes since Agneta had injected Kendal with the stimulant, and she moaned quietly as the chemical compounds warred within in her. "I think she might be coming around," Agneta said as she watched Kendal's face.

"About damn time," snarled Alpha. "Tau, get in here!"

Alpha moved forward shoving Bergdahl out of the way as he grabbed Kendal by the shoulders. He shook her violently. Kendal moaned and her eyelids fluttered slightly. He then began slapping her across the face, hoping the pain would bring her back around. She moaned again and tried feebly to bat away the thing bothering her.

Tau joined them in the sleeping quarters. He made immediate eye contact with Alpha and gave him a curt nod. "Any luck?" he asked.

"I think she's starting to come around," Alpha replied. "Do you have any smelling salts?"

"Yes, there are a few capsules," she replied.

"Get them!" Alpha ordered.

As she moved off to get the smelling salts she heard Alpha talking with Tau. "Is the charge set?"

"Yes. We have 30 minutes in which to get away before it explodes," he answered quietly.

"Good. Sigma, where the hell are those smelling salts?!"

"Here," she said shoving them at him. "You don't have to yell, I'm not deaf." She now knew that no one on the station was going to survive, and she needed to find a way to keep them from getting away too.

Alpha snatched the capsules out of her hand, quickly snapped one open and waved it under Kendal's nose. She jerked her head back as the strong smell of ammonia assaulted her senses. She moaned louder and slowly forced her eyes open. She had difficulty focusing her eyes as they tried desperately to close and render her unconscious again.

"Wha…what's going…on…here?" she finally managed to get out. Nothing was making any sense. Her face stung and she noticed blood floating in the air around her. She had no idea who the two men were, or where they had come from. Her mind worked furiously trying to assemble the strange puzzle before her eyes, to make it all make sense.

She fumbled with the zipper in her sleeping bag and pulled it down freeing her from the confines of the bag. As she wormed her way out, the spanner she had in her pocket fell out and headed towards the floor. There was a reason she needed that, she thought to herself, but couldn't for the life of her remember why. "Neta, what's happened? Who are these guys?" she slurred.

Alpha moved forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, then slapped her hard across the face once again. "Wake up! Focus!" he ordered. "Tell me how to release the US module from the storage rack!"

Kendal saw stars and shook her head trying to clear her vision. Her eyelids wanted so badly to close, but she fought hard to keep them open. Slowly the pieces began coming together as Alpha and Tau moved in on her. "Huh. I haven't a clue what you're talking about," Kendal replied.

"You will get a clue in a hurry, or you will sorely regret it," Alpha threatened. He slapped her across the face once more.

Agneta cringed wanting very much to come to Kendal's aid, but was keenly aware of Tau positioning himself to stop her if she tried. Kendal shook her head again trying desperately to figure out what they wanted. She brought her hand up to her face, and wiped away the blood that was now flowing freely from her nose.

"Stop it!" screamed Agneta. Alpha shot Tau a glare and he backhanded her, shutting her up.

"I will ask you this once more, then I am going to start breaking bones until you tell me how to remove the module from the storage rack." He backhanded Kendal once more and her vision started to grow dark as she was moved backwards into the bulkhead."

"I told you once," Kendal answered as she held a hand to her stinging face. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Alpha launched himself at her and sent her slamming into the bulkhead. Her head made contact with the wall and things went dark.

(00l00)

"Jamie, we're in," Lee said quietly into the helmet mic. "I'm going to leave the channel open so you can hear what's going on."

"Copy that, Skipper," Jamieson replied. "Be very careful, I don't want to have to rely on an autopilot to get me home. You know how much I trust all this technology."

"Will do," Chip answered with a quiet chuckle.

Lee cautiously eased his way out of the airlock into the Space Station. There was nobody in the immediate vicinity for which he was immensely relieved. They had made it all the way in without alerting those inside to their presence. He looked back and waved Chip forward.

As they entered the station, they heard the raised voices at the opposite end of the vessel. They could hear the sound of someone being slapped, and as they moved closer it became all too apparent it was Kendal. Lee growled and ground his teeth. Chip placed his hand on his brother's shoulder trying to rein him in. Lee looked over his shoulder making eye contact with Chip and nodded. This was no time for rash, emotional responses, they had to scout out the scene before making their presence known.

They eased their way forward down the main body of the station towards the voices. The male quite obviously wanted information from Kendal that she apparently didn't have. As they neared the sleeping area, Lee indicated Chip should hug the opposite bulkhead so they each had a clear field of fire. Lee sank down to the deck and crawled forward until he could just see into the chamber.

Kendal, Bergdahl, and the unconscious Medrev were against the far bulkhead. Kendal was bleeding heavily from her nose, and appeared to be struggling to stay conscious. Two men stood in front of them, their backs to Lee and Chip. Lee pushed his way back out of sight and moved next to Chip. He quickly described the lay of the land and where everyone was positioned.

"Set your weapon to heavy stun," Lee said as he moved the dial on his. "We'll ease our way in along the deck, then rise up. You take the guy on the left and I'll take out the guy on the right."

Chip nodded as he changed the setting on his gun. "Gotcha, Skipper."

"Okay, let's go."

(00l00)

Kendal shook her head hard trying to get the stars to clear from her vision, and to let her focus on what was happening. ' _Why the hell would they think she has any idea how to pull the modules out of the racks?_ ' she wondered. She blinked her eyes rapidly, opening them very wide hoping that would help her focus. As she did, she could have sworn she saw a head pop around the corner that looked very much like Lee. She shook her head once more, and looked over her tormentor's shoulder down the short corridor, but it was empty.

She must have been imaging things, she thought to herself. As she became more alert, the leader began advancing on her again. She steeled herself for another assault, but then suddenly spied two figures working their way towards them along the deck. Her eyes grew wide, again wondering if she was just seeing things, or if there were more people on the station.

Alpha noticed the change in Kendal's focus, and turned slightly to see what she was looking at. At that moment, the first shot was fired, and Tau was slammed into the bulkhead. Alpha reacted immediately grabbing Agneta pulling her in front of him, using her as a shield to absorb the second shot. She went instantly limp.

Alpha pushed her inert form forward towards the attackers, then grabbed Kendal around the neck and positioned her in front of him. Chip grabbed Agneta, pushed her behind him, and out of the line of fire while Lee maintained his aim at Alpha.

"Release her," Lee ordered. "You have nowhere to go."

"Put down your weapons, or I'll kill her right here and now," Alpha responded as he tightened his grip around her neck.

Kendal raised her hands and placed them on Alpha's forearm trying to pry it off. He tightened his grip and began cutting off her air. "Your choice hero. All I want to do is get to my capsule, and get the hell out of here. Drop your weapons and back off, or I'll kill her, I promise."

Lee's eyes narrowed. "You won't get away. Your ship will be targeted for destruction the minute Mission Control hears you've left. You've failed your mission, and those in the PR hierarchy don't look kindly upon failures. Your only hope of living out the rest of your miserable life relatively pain free is to release her, now."

"You overestimate your country's military abilities. Now, lower your weapons and get the hell out of my way, or I swear I will kill her," Alpha snarled. To prove his point, he once more tightened his grip around Kendal's throat.

Kendal struggled valiantly against Alpha's grip, but he was too strong. Everything was beginning to sound hollow as her air supply was slowly being cut off. It all began to grow dark around the edges as her eyes rolled back into her head and she started to lose consciousness.

Lee slightly lowered his weapon, as his eyes tracked behind and to the right of Alpha. Alpha squinted at Crane, trying to figure out what he was looking at when the back of his head felt as though it had exploded, and he suddenly went out. He immediately released Kendal and reflexively shoved her forward as he slumped over, now unconscious.

Lee darted forward and enfolded Kendal in his arms, keeping her from making contact with the bulkhead. As Alpha floated forward, Katarina lowered the spanner she had found near the deck, that she had used to knock him out.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked. "Why am I in my spacesuit? And who pray tell are all of you?"

The relieved burst of laughter from Chip and Lee had her totally baffled as she took in the scene around her. There were two men in red spacesuits floating unconscious, along with one of her crew, and the other cradled in the arms of another man she didn't know, while the fourth man was moving to restrain the unconscious men.

"Captain Medrev, I am Captain Lee Crane, USNR and from NIMR, here on a mission to rescue you and your crew. Permission to come aboard," Lee finally said.

Katarina blinked at them curiously, her head throbbing like a bass drum, she quickly concluded she had missed out on a lot that had happened. The last thing she remembered was a flash of light off their port side and then being hurled through space, tumbling out of control. "Permission granted, Captain. Now can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"In a bit Captain," Lee replied, with a smile. "I need to have a message passed on to Mission Control. Jamie, are you still there?"

"Affirmative, Captain," Jamieson responded immediately.

"Good. Please inform Mission Control that the station is under our control, the PR astronauts are out of commission, and all projects are intact and accounted for," Crane said.

"With pleasure, Skipper," Jamieson acknowledged.

(00l00)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

After asking Captain Medrev if there was any duct tape on board, Chip quickly retrieved it from the storage cabinet, and moved to further neutralized the PR personnel. He ensured they were securely bound by copious layers of the stuff and presented no further danger. As he did that, Lee gently tried to bring Kendal around.

"Kendal, Kendal, can you wake up for me?" he said softly as he gently rubbed her cheek trying to avoid the severe bruising that was starting to color her face.

Kendal moaned quietly as she tried to throw off the effects of the drugs circulating in her system along with the near strangulation. She turned her head to the side to avoid the painful touch to her cheek. Beyond the discomfort was a voice she knew she recognized. ' _No, it can't be him,_ ' she thought. _'It had to be a dream.'_

"Come on, Kendal, come on back to me, honey," Lee repeated.

Slowly Kendal opened her eyes, one of which was rapidly swelling shut and distorting her focus. She stared at the blurry figure above her, that looked strikingly similar to Lee, his expression conveying his deep concern. She blinked her eyes trying to get them to focus, then stared intently at the form above her. Finding that the view hadn't changed, she tentatively reached up and touched the faceplate of Lee's helmet, still not truly convinced this wasn't an extremely vivid hallucination.

"My god," she whispered quietly, "it's really you. I thought you were just a wishful figment of my imagination. Where did you come from?"

A relieved smile spread across Lee's face. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair off her forehead, trying not to touch the bruises that marked her face. "I came from Earth," he said seriously.

"Smart ass," Kendal replied. "How did you get here so fast? How long have I been out?"

"Once Mission Control lost radio contact with the Space Station, we kicked our mission prep into high gear and launched as soon as we could. Couldn't leave you up here without cell phone service," Lee answered. "How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere else besides your face and throat?"

Kendal stuck her tongue out at him. "Thanks for coming up after us, I was starting to get a bit concerned." She quickly conducted a check of her body to see if she was hurting elsewhere. "Other than being a little spaced out from whatever Agneta shot me up with, I'm fine…When did we lose radio contact? I don't remember that."

Lee smiled. "Glad to hear nothing else is damaged. Do you feel up to sitting up, not that it really matters here in space?"

"Upright sounds grand," Kendal replied as Lee pulled her up off the deck.

"Hey, look who's back with us," Chip said, a big smile on his face as he finished tying the PR captives to the bulkhead. "How you feeling?"

"Exceedingly well now that you and Lee are here," Kendal replied. "Thanks for coming to get us."

"No problem, lovely lady," Chip said giving her a small salute. "It's all part of the service. Lee, what do you want me to do with Bergdahl? She's still out from the laser shot, do you think she needs to be restrained, as well?"

Lee shook his head no. "I don't think she poses a threat, but we'll keep an eye on her just in case." Chip nodded in agreement.

"So, it was Agneta," Kendal stated. "I can't believe she would do something like that." She looked around the area and quickly became concerned. "Where's Katarina? Is she all right?"

"Just relax, she's better. She came to just in time to save your neck. She insisted on going to the Control Room to check out her ship. Once we get hooked up to the Space Station, we'll sic Jamie on her and you," Lee answered.

"Oh, that's just not fair," Kendal replied and grimaced at the thought of falling into Jamie's clutches. "So, if you aren't attached to the Space Station, how did you get in? Is that why you still have your helmets on?"

"I'm going to head up to the Control Room and see if I can give Captain Medrev a hand at trying to fix the radio," Chip said, excusing himself from the room. "Call if you need anything." Lee nodded.

"We entered through the hole in the damaged capsule and came in that hatch. Now that you're feeling better, I need to get back over to FS-1, and move it out of the way, so Chip can jettison the capsule. Once that's done I can then move into position and Chip can deploy the gantry system, and we can more easily get you all aboard and back to Earth," Lee answered. "I'm going to get Chip, you stay here, relax, and keep an eye on Bergdahl and the prisoners."

Kendal nodded and gave Lee a small smile. "Be careful."

Lee returned the smile, then made his way up to the Control Room. A couple of minutes later both Lee and Chip returned, then headed towards the opposite end of the station to carry out their tasks.

(00l00)

"FS-1, do you read me?" Lee signaled.

"Loud and clear, Skipper," Jamie replied immediately.

"I'm making my way back over now, so we can finish up what we started," Lee replied.

"Copy that. I'm standing by to cycle you in."

"All right, I should be there shortly," Lee slid open the door to the airlock and entered.

Chip shut it carefully once Lee was inside, and looked through the window to make sure he was ready. Lee gave him a thumb's up indicating he was ready to return to the capsule. Chip hit the switch depressurizing the airlock, so Lee could open the other door and enter the capsule without being blown in by the escaping atmosphere.

Once the indicator turned red, Lee pushed open the other door and crawled into the capsule. He reached up, grabbed one of the tethers, and attached it to his suit. Next, he eased his way up to the hole and carefully pulled himself out. "I'm on my way back now, Jamie. Should be there shortly."

"Copy that, Lee," Jamieson replied. He moved to the front of FS-1 and watched as Lee emerged from the capsule and began pulling himself across the expanse towards FS-1, by the tether.

As Lee made his way across, he suddenly jerked and dropped the tether as he curled into a ball. "Shit!" was all Jamie heard.

"Skipper! Lee, what's wrong?!" Jamie called out, as he watched him float off only coming to a halt when he reached the end of his line.

"What's happened?!" came Chip's strident demand over the channel.

"I don't know, Lee suddenly jerked, then stopped, curled up in a ball, then floated off into space until his tether halted his progress. He's just floating at the end of his line right now," Jamieson reported.

"Damn! Lee? Lee, can you hear me?!" Chip called. "Do you need assistance?"

The only sounds coming over the line was Lee gasping for breath, along with the occasional painful groan. Chip began quickly preparing to exit the Space Station to come to his captain's aid. As he prepared to cycle through the airlock, they finally heard something more coherent coming from Lee.

"Damn that stings," Lee said as he drew in a painful breath and groaned once more.

"What happened?!" both Morton and Jamieson inquired urgently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." He replied breathily. "I just found out that space dust stings like a son of a bitch when it hits you. Sorry I scared you, but it knocked the wind right out of me. Felt like I got kicked in the chest by a mule. Good news is that Janet's suit held up like armor, no rip or tear where it hit me. Pressure is still good."

Chip blew out a sigh of relief. "Good to hear. You scared the crap out of me. Can you make it back to FS-1 okay, or do you need me to assist you?"

"I'm good, Chip, but thanks for the offer. I'm making my way back now." Lee grabbed the tether and winced in pain at the pull on his ribs then began pulling himself back to FS-1. He entered the open outer hatch then detached his tether and rolled it up. "Close the outer hatch."

"Closing hatch now," Jamie replied. The hatch slid shut. Once shut, Lee felt the chamber pressurize and watched as the top hatch was pulled open. "Welcome aboard, Captain," Jamieson said, the relief both in his voice and on his face, was more than evident.

Lee smiled and accepted Jamie's outstretched hand pulling him into FS-1. "Pleasure to be back," he said.

"Nice to have you back, it was getting rather lonely over here," Jamieson replied, as he gave Lee a visual once over.

"I'm fine, Will," Lee said as he rolled his eyes realizing what Jamieson was doing. He gently rubbed at his chest where the bit of debris had nailed him.

"I've heard that before," Jamieson retorted. "Once we're back, I will have a proper look so don't slink off."

Lee shook his head and laughed. "Yes, Doctor." He moved over to the pilot's seat, strapped in and indicated Jamieson should do the same, then fired up the engines. "Okay Chip, I'm moving off now."

"Copy that, Lee."

Lee gently manipulated the joysticks and FS-1 backed off a good distance to allow Chip to release the capsule without fear of it making contact with them. "We're clear, jettison capsule when you're ready."

"Copy that FS-1, releasing capsule now," Chip said as he hit the switch. There was a slight shudder and the damaged Soyuz capsule pushed off and began drifting away from the Space Station.

Lee and Jamie watched the small ship float past them, then rapidly disappear into the vastness of space. "Capsule is clear, beginning docking procedures. Stand by."

"Space Station standing by," Chip replied. He peered out the porthole and watched as FS-1 came into view, as Lee deftly maneuvered the little ship into position. He perfectly aligned the small ship on his first attempt. "You're looking good FS-1, hold position."

"Copy that."

Chip then slid open the airlock door, stepped inside and it shut. Next, he hit the button depressurizing the chamber, then slid open the outer door. FS-1 was poised less than a foot from the Space Station making it easy for him to grab the deployment strap and pull the gantry system out of its asbestos cocoon.

He quickly secured the gantry to the side of the Space Station and ensured he had an airtight seal. Next, he returned to the airlock controls and hit the switch to pressurize the Kevlar tube. He watched with a certain satisfaction as the tube expanded and held firm. He then floated over to FS-1 and banged on the aft hatch with the spanner he had picked up inside. "FS-1 we have a secure seal, you can open the hatch."

"Copy, Chip," Lee acknowledged. "Jamie, would you please let Mr. Morton in."

Jamieson gave Lee a quick salute, then smiled and unbuckled his harness. He moved to the hatch, undogged it, and pulled it open to find Chip there waiting for him.

"Permission to come aboard," Chip said as he floated in.

"Permission granted," Lee replied as he unhooked his harness and pushed out of his seat. "Well, I for one have had about enough of space, what say we get these helmets off for a bit, get everyone transferred over, and get the hell out of here?"

"Don't have to ask me twice," Chip responded.

Lee laughed then reached up, disconnected his helmet, pulled it off, and took a deep breath. Chip and Jamie followed suit. They all reached up and scratched their faces after having to put up with various tickles for what seemed forever. Chip then turned around, exited FS-1, and hit the switch opening the door to the station.

(00l00)

With the gantry now in place, they all crossed over into the Space Station. As they made their way down the station and entered the sleeping area, Jamie surged ahead moving to Kendal's side to assess her condition.

"Relax, Jamie, I'm fine," Kendal said as she saw the concerned look on his face. "It's not as bad as it looks. It just stings, you need to check on Katarina first and make sure she's doing okay."

Jamieson scowled at her for a moment. "And you came by that diagnosis how, Dr. Ferguson? You've been hanging around the captain entirely too long. You're picking up his nasty habits."

He conducted a quick once over, checking the damage to her face and throat. He checked her pupils for signs of a concussion, and for the effects of the drugs in her system. "All right, you'll pass for the moment. Where is Captain Medrev?"

"She's in the Control Room trying to fix the radio," Kendal reported.

"In her condition?!" Jamieson responded incredulously. "It must be a captain thing. Chip, show me the way, please."

"Come on Jamie, this way," Chip replied.

As Chip and Jamie moved off, Lee moved forward and gave Kendal a gentle kiss and a hug.

"Oh god, it is so good to see you," Kendal replied as she squeezed Lee tighter. "When I first saw you, I thought I was hallucinating."

Lee smiled. "I told you I'd be here as quickly as I could." He kissed her again gently on the temple.

A second later they heard Jamieson and Medrev arguing about what she needed to be doing instead of being poked and prodded by the physician, for no good reason, as he escorted her back to the sleeping area. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes in mild frustration. Lee met her gaze, and gave her a quick nod and knowing smile, having had the doctor pull him away from vitally important tasks he had to complete, to administer to his inconsequential injuries. She returned the smile knowing she was with a kindred spirit when it came to the responsibilities of a captain during an emergency.

As Jamie began evaluating the captain, their attention was drawn to Agneta as she began to regain consciousness after being nailed by the laser. She groaned loudly as she tried to shrug off the effects of the heavy stun. Both Katarina and Kendal glared at the traitor in their midst.

Chip floated over and gently took her arm steadying her, and providing a point of reference as she came around. "Are you okay?" he inquired quietly.

Agneta's eyes fluttered open and shut a number of times until she finally was able to keep them open. As she focused her vision, she dearly wished she could return to that oblivion she had been in, as she regarded the stern and accusing stares from all those around her.

"Yes, I think so," she replied meekly. "I feel kind of tingly and sluggish."

"That's just the effect of the stun charge you received from the laser," Lee replied. "It should wear off pretty quickly."

She nodded, then looked around the station and caught sight of Alpha and Tau floating next to her, bound and gagged in copious layers of duct tape. She visibly cringed and averted her eyes in shame. "I am so sorry for all of this," she said softly. "Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think you would be put in so much danger. I had no idea they meant to destroy the station in addition to taking the experiment modules."

"Why?!" ground out Medrev, as she glared over Jamieson's shoulder.

"Money is the cold hard truth, but not for me, for my mother. I needed the money to get her admitted to the best cancer research hospital to hopefully find a cure for her lung cancer. If that failed, then to ensure she lived out her life pain-free and in comfort," Agneta replied. "It also would have allowed me to be with her until the end. In my naivete, I honestly thought no one would get hurt, and this would all just be chalked up to a random debris strike."

They all shook their heads in disgust, although they were somewhat appeased by the fact she was not acting purely for self-profit.

"Once I realized what was happening, I did try to sabotage them. I switched the tags on the experiment modules, and then super glued the largest one in the storage rack so they couldn't get it out. I was hoping it would buy enough time for you to get here and take care of them." Her co-conspirators glared at her as she admitted to her double-cross.

"Did you disable the radio?" Lee asked.

"Yes. I pulled out some of the circuit cards and hid them in one of the other consoles. If you like I'll show you where they are," Agneta offered.

Lee nodded. "Chip, escort her to the Control Room and see about restoring radio contact."

Chip nodded and gently took Agneta's arm and guided her forward. When they entered the Control Room, she moved quickly to the radio and opened the console up, then over to the other console where she hid the cards and pulled it open and gathered the cards. She returned to the radio console, plugged them back into their slots, shut the panel and activated the unit. The console dutifully lit up.

Chip hit the transmit switch and toggled on the mic. "Mission Control, this is the Space Station, do you read me?"

There was a brief crackle of static then, "Space Station, this is Mission Control, we read you loud and clear," Majors replied loudly over the cheers in the background. "Space Station, what is your status?"

As Chip gave them a rundown of what had occurred, Agneta slowly perused the Control Room. There was something niggling at the back of her mind from the last conversation she'd overheard between Alpha and Tau. The more she pondered it, the more it bothered her until it finally hit her. Where was the small case Tau had brought aboard with him? She moved rapidly to one of the consoles and opened it up, scanning quickly for the case. Not finding it, she slammed it shut and moved on to the next.

Chip watched in consternation as he talked with Mission Control. No longer willing to let her randomly open and shut the consoles, Chip took action. "Hold one, Mission Control." He snapped the mic off. "What the hell are you doing?"

"When Tau came aboard he had a small silver case with him, and now it's nowhere to be found. I think it might be a bomb," Agneta replied as she continued her search.

"A bomb?!" Chip exclaimed. He immediately jumped into action starting his own search from the opposite end of the Control Room. On his third console, he spotted a small silver case shoved into the back of the cabinet. "Agneta, over here. Is this what you saw?"

Agneta moved next to Chip and looked inside the cabinet. "Yes, that's it." She reached forward to grab it and found her wrist firmly ensnared by Morton's hand. She looked at him perplexed by his actions.

"Don't touch it, we don't know if motion will set it off. Go back and get Captain Crane," he ordered. Agneta nodded and hustled back to the sleeping area.

"Captain, Chip would like you to come to the Control Room," she said.

Lee looked up at her face and could tell something was wrong. "You stay here and relax," he said to Kendal. "Lead the way."

Lee entered the Control Room and immediately spotted Chip staring intently at an open cabinet. "What's up Chip?"

"I think we've got a bomb on board," Chip replied and moved aside to allow Lee to look the item over.

"A bomb? Are you sure?" he asked as he moved forward.

"Agneta said she remembered one of the men carrying a small metal case when he came aboard, then didn't have it when he came out of the Control Room. We conducted a quick search and found it hidden away here."

Lee eased his way in front of the console and regarded the small case. It had a small handle on the top along with a single clasp keeping the unit shut. There were no wires extending from the case so he reached in cautiously, grabbed it, and eased it out. On closer inspection, he found two hinges on the bottom and nothing else making the small case remarkable.

"Weren't you afraid that would go off if you moved it?" Chip asked.

"Not really," Lee replied as he continued scrutinizing the case. "A mercury switch wouldn't work effectively here in space, and I don't think they anticipated anyone looking for it. Come on, let's go see what our prisoners have to say about it."

(00l00)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

As Seaview neared the reported coordinates of the missile launch, Nelson slowed her progress. "All right, increase range on all detection equipment and keep your eyes and ears open. I want to know if you so much as hear a fish fart," he said, eliciting quick nods and smiles.

It had taken them nearly 6 hours to reach the area given the need to travel as quietly as possible. Thus far neither the ASW aircraft, the Integrated Underwater Surveillance System, nor Seaview had picked up any indication that there was a submarine in the area. He paced quietly behind his operators, snagging looks at their displays as he passed.

"All stop, Mr. O'Brien," he ordered.

"All stop, aye," Bobby confirmed and issued the orders to bring the giant sub to a halt.

"Now we get to just sit and wait," Nelson said quietly as he regarded the young officer.

Bobby nodded knowing full well how tense this hurry up and wait game could be. "Yes, sir. I live for this," he joked, garnering a quick smile and wink from Nelson. He walked over to the radio shack. "Any updates yet, Sparks?"

Sparks started to shake his head no when he suddenly stopped and smiled. "Excellent timing, Admiral, I've got something coming in right now." Sparks made some minor adjustments to his equipment, then hit record. Once the transmission was completed, he ran it through the decoder, printed out the text, and handed to Nelson.

Harri scrutinized the sheet of paper for a moment, then smiled. "They made it to the Space Station, and everyone is safe. They've also captured two PR agents sent to recover the experiments. Captain Medrev is now conscious, and apparently Kendal was assaulted by the agents in an attempt to get information from her regarding how to remove the experiment modules. She's bruised and battered, but will be fine," he relayed then released a sigh of relief. "They are preparing to transfer personnel and be on their way."

The crew nodded and smiled briefly, but the smiles were replaced with looks of grim determination ready to exact retribution for the attack on Kendal. They redoubled their scrutiny of their equipment making sure nothing escaped their attention.

"Things should start picking up now," Nelson said to O'Brien as he moved back to the chart table. "Assuming they know where FS-1 intends to land, they'll need to get moving shortly to position themselves for their shot."

Harri picked up a compass, placed the point in the center of Coronado, and drew a large circle around the area. "If they remained here following their first shot, then they're going to have to move soon in this direction to have the best chance of locking onto FS-1 when she enters the atmosphere, and makes her way to North Island."

O'Brien nodded as he regarded the chart. "Do we wait for them to move, or do we slip just inside the outer limit?"

"I think we should ease our way in that direction now, to beat the rush," Nelson replied. O'Brien nodded again then gave the orders to move Seaview silently to the new location.

(00l00)

As Lee and Chip entered the sleeping area with the case, Lee noticed immediately that Tau paled slightly, and Alpha glared harder at his captors, if that was possible. He moved over to the pair tied to the bulkhead and returned Alpha's glare.

"I take it this belongs to you," he said as he scrutinized them closer. "Care to tell me what I'll find when I open this up?"

Neither man reacted further as they just stared at Crane. Lee reached forward and yanked the tape off Tau's mouth eliciting a bit of a gasp. "Bergdahl says this belongs to you. Funny that we found it tucked away in one of the consoles, almost like you were hiding…a bomb?"

Tau's eyes shifted slightly down and then returned Crane's gaze. "I thought so. You're not really very talkative, are you? So, would it concern you in the least if I was to open this right now?"

Neither man reacted, indicating to Lee the device was either on a timer or could be remotely detonated once they had made their escape with their prize. He narrowed his eyes as he regarded them more closely, then floated over to the bulkhead, unlatched and lowered a small table, and placed the case on top. He gingerly rotated the latch and the hasp snapped open. He shot another gaze over at their prisoners and noticed they were both just staring straight ahead unwilling to watch what he was doing.

Lee snorted, then gently lifted the lid finding the case packed with C4 explosive and a timer counting down with little more than 10 minutes remaining. He blew out a frustrated sigh. A quick examination of the device indicated there was no off switch readily apparent and he didn't want to start messing with it, and set the damn thing off accidentally. "Okay folks, we gotta move now. Chip, Jamie, get the ladies all moved over to FS-1 and belted in. Agneta, which modules do I need to remove?" Agneta quickly pointed to the two items, relieved that they were not going to abandon her here on the station as payment for her treachery.

"What about them?" Chip inquired of their prisoners.

"Leave them for now, we need to make sure that we have sufficient space for our personnel and CARGO before we consider bringing along the trash," Lee ordered. Both prisoners glared at him.

As Chip and Jamie headed back to FS-1, Lee quickly removed the two items they had been sent to reclaim. He turned and floated back down the Space Station and passed them over to Chip as he met him at the door.

"So, what are we doing with the bomb?" Chip asked.

"I'll dump it in the PR capsule and jettison the entire thing into space. I was kind of hoping to leave it here so there would be incontrovertible proof of their actions, but I guess a quick video will do just as well. I'm tempted to dump the trash that brought it up inside, but I think they would frown on that back on Earth," Lee replied. "Get these stowed and I'll take care of the other capsule and the bomb."

"It's going to be a tight squeeze with the extra passengers," Chip added. "It may also impact our maneuverability coming back to Earth."

"I've been thinking about that. We're pretty close to our maximums as is, that large module is heavier than it looks," Lee answered. "Let me think on that some more while I take care of things."

Chip nodded then moved back into FS-1 and began stowing the cargo in the moon pool well. He secured it well knowing they may need to eject their excess air tanks.

Lee picked up the bomb and headed to the PR capsule. He pulled out his cell phone and created a video record of the interior cabin focusing clearly on the switch labels written in Republicese. He stashed the bomb, grabbed the helmets for the PR prisoner's spacesuits, then exited and sealed the capsule back up. He next hit the switch detaching the capsule from the Space Station and watched it float off into space.

He made his way to the Control Room and watched as the capsule moved away from the station. Less than a minute later there was a bright flash as the bomb exploded, destroying the capsule and shooting debris in all directions.

"That was kind of close," Chip said, as he looked over Lee's shoulder.

"A little closer than I like. I think their timer was running a little fast; probably made in the PR," Lee replied with a wink. "Everyone buckled in?"

Before Chip could answer there was a chirp from the radio indicating an incoming transmission. Lee flipped the switch on. "Space Station, this is Mission Control, do you read me?" came the rather panicked voice.

Lee and Chip shared a quick grin guessing they had just seen the explosion down on Earth. "Mission Control, this is the Space Station, we read you loud and clear."

"Are you, all right?! We noticed a large flash in close proximity to the station, do you know what that was?" Majors inquired sounding quite relieved.

"Affirmative. The PR visitors brought along a bomb, no doubt to hide their activities on the station. We placed the bomb in the PR capsule and jettisoned the entire package just to be on the safe side," Lee answered.

"Was there any damage to the Space Station?"

"Not that we can tell. No alarms have gone off, so nothing of note I would guess. There is however a rather extensive debris field in the area where it exploded," Lee answered.

"Thanks for the information. So, what is your status at this time?" Majors inquired.

"We are preparing to get under way shortly. Station personnel and cargo have been loaded aboard FS-1. I'm preparing to engage the automatic pilot for the Space Station, then we will see about finding room for our prisoners," Lee reported.

"I'm inclined to have you flush them out an airlock," Majors responded bitterly.

"I was sorely tempted to shove them into the capsule with the bomb, and flush them all away myself," Lee confided.

"Excellent show of self-restraint," Majors quipped back.

"We need to get moving now, so we can be back for happy hour," Lee replied.

"Copy, contact us when you are ready to depart. Mission Control, out."

Lee flipped off the radio then began scanning the various control panels until he found the one containing the auto pilot. He depressed the button and the indicator light lit up indicating auto pilot engaged. He conducted a scan of the various displays finding everything in order.

"All set?" Chip inquired.

"Everything but our prisoners. Here," Lee said as he passed a spacesuit helmet to Chip. "I think the only way we can get us all safely back is to stow them in the dive well. We'll hook them up to the extra tanks so they won't suffocate, and FS-1's external coating should hopefully provide sufficient insulation from the heat of reentry that they don't bake to death. Belt them in as tightly as you can, we still need to dump the used tanks before we start reentry."

Chip nodded in agreement and matched Lee's rather evil smile. They would be packed in there, in absolute darkness, like sardines in a can, which should cushion them enough to prevent any injuries during reentry. "That is really going to be tight," he remarked.

They returned to the sleeping area and each grabbed one of the prisoners and pushed them down the corridor to FS-1. Occasionally they would push just a little too hard and their prisoners would meet up with the bulkhead now and again before they were brought under control by their keepers, in the zero-gravity atmosphere.

As they entered FS-1, Jamieson was finishing up last minute checks on his patients and verifying their harnesses were tight. He looked up after completing his review of Kendal and regarded them.

"Jamie, pull up the hatch for the moon pool," Lee ordered as he dragged his prisoner in behind him.

Jamieson raised an eyebrow as he realized what Crane intended to do. He quickly knelt down, grabbed the handle and pulled the hatch open.

"They will have their spacesuits on, be on supplied air, and as tightly packed as they will be in there, they should be protected from any turbulence we encounter. There's no other place to secure them in the cabin," Lee replied neutrally, answering Jamieson's unasked question. "Also, if we prove to be seriously overweight, we can readily jettison the excess poundage."

"And payback is a bitch," Chip added with a chuckle, as he made his entry to FS-1. "It doesn't pay to threaten and assault the captain's lady, or to take pot shots at us."

Both prisoners paled somewhat as they listened to the exchange. They weren't sure in the least whether they were serious or not.

Lee placed the helmet over his prisoner's head and secured it shut. Taking his time, he then gathered up the hoses to the air tanks and clipped into the man's suit and slowly cracked the seal allowing the air to flow. His lungs burning from lack of air, Alpha gasped greedily as the air flooded his helmet, filling his lungs as Lee smirked. He was then pushed down into the hold on top of the spent air tanks.

Chip followed suit and when both men were securely wedged and belted into the moon pool well, he pushed the hatch closed and pressurized the bay. Jamie regarded both men for a moment. "That seems a bit dark for you two."

"I have been victim of the PR one time too often, and Chip is correct, payback is a bitch. If I really had my way, they would have been dumped unceremoniously back into their capsule to get a first-hand view of their bomb going off. Plus, I don't take kindly to them endangering the people I care a great deal about, you included," Lee explained as he winked and patted Jamie on the shoulder. "If left inside the cabin and they came free from the tie down during reentry, or severe turbulence, they could present a physical danger to everyone else inside, as uncontrolled missiles," Lee explained.

Jamie gave Lee a quick nod recalling their captives had intended to dispatch the entire Space Station crew without the slightest hint of compassion. "That's true," he said then moved to his seat and began strapping himself in.

"They're protected, Jamie, just not comfortable," Lee added with a smile which garnered one from Jamieson.

Chip conducted a thorough once over of the cabin, to see if they had missed anything. "Is that it, are we done here?"

Lee looked quickly around. "Yes, I think we are. Secure the hatch and release the gantry," he ordered.

"Aye, Skipper," Chip replied. He verified the hatch to the Space Station was sealed, then pulled the aft hatch shut and dogged it. He moved to his seat and hit the switch turning off the magnets and releasing the gantry package. He sat down and fastened his harness, then began working through his pre-flight checklist. As he completed his checklist he looked over at Lee. "All systems green."

"Copy," Lee replied. "All systems green here as well." He then toggled the radio to contact Mission Control.

"Mission Control, this is FS-1, ready to depart the Space Station. Do you copy?"

"FS-1 this is Mission Control, we copy. All systems show green here. Commence return when ready." Majors replied.

"Copy, Mission Control. Gantry has been disconnected, and I am engaging engines now." Lee eased the joysticks forward and FS-1's engines dutifully answered the call slowly pushing the small ship away from the Space Station. As the distance increased, Lee eased the throttle forward and they began picking up speed.

"Okay Chip, check the return coordinates," Lee ordered.

Chip quickly reviewed the information and double checked it, then hit enter. "Coordinates entered, Captain."

"All right everyone, hold on, I'm engaging autopilot now." Lee hit the switch and FS-1 immediately responded altering course and increasing speed. "Mission Control, we have initiated our return. Estimated reentry time two hours 18 minutes with touch down at North Island approximately 58 minutes after that."

"Copy FS-1. Have a safe flight. Confirm when you begin reentry into Earth's atmosphere."

"Copy that and thank you Mission Control. FS-1 out."

Nearly a half hour into their return flight, Lee looked at Chip and smiled. "Oh, I do believe we forgot to put out the trash. Open outer door to the moon pool well, if you would Mr. Morton."

Chip laughed out right as did the others in the cabin. "Gladly, Captain." He reached over and flipped the switch retracting the outer hatch of the moon pool. Given the interior was still pressurized, anything not tied down was blown out into space. "I believe the trash has been removed, sir. Shall I close the hatch?"

"Yes, thank you Mr. Morton, and please re-pressurize it," Lee responded and smiled wickedly once more. "Payback is indeed a bitch."

(00l00)


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Seaview had been at their new location for nearly an hour. They had settled just off the bottom remaining silent and motionless, ready to pounce like a halibut waiting for its prey to blunder by. Every man on duty had his eyes glued to his scope looking or listening for the slightest hint of movement or noise.

As Nelson and O'Brien stared out the front windows, Sparks hurried over with a message. "This just came in, sir."

Nelson accepted the note and quickly read it, a small smile spreading across his lips. He looked up at O'Brien and smiled wider at his inquiring look. "They've got everyone on board, and have started their return to Earth. They should be on the ground in San Diego in just over three hours," Harri said just loud enough for all to hear.

Smiles quickly graced the faces of the Control Room crew as they reveled silently in the good news about their shipmates, then immediately resumed their intense scrutiny of their detection equipment. The game was only half won, they needed to remain hyper vigilant to thwart any attack the PR might attempt.

"They should be making a move soon, if they're still in the area," Bobby replied quietly.

"Oh, they're still here," Nelson answered cryptically. "I can feel them. FS-1 is bringing back their men, whether they know that for sure or not. You can bet they aren't going to take the chance they're aboard and run the risk of letting them talk."

O'Brien nodded in full agreement. He and Nelson stared at the chart doing the only thing they could, which was wait.

"Admiral," Kowalski called out quietly. "I think I've got something approximately 75 miles off our port bow."

Nelson hurried over to the sonar station and stared intently over Ski's shoulder. For a moment there was nothing, then a single blip. Both Ski and Nelson smiled.

"Can you identify it yet, Ski?" Nelson asked as he picked up the second set of headphones and listened.

"Not quite yet, sir. It's intermittent and I'm working with passive sonar."

"Keep a close eye on it," Nelson replied. "Mr. O'Brien move us in that general direction as quietly as you can."

"Aye, sir." O'Brien quickly got the coordinates and passed them on to the helm. "Ahead, one third speed." Seaview silently nudged forward and started making her way towards the PR sub.

"Patterson, any air traffic above?" Nelson inquired.

"Aye, sir. There have been a number of ASW flyovers and I'm picking up US military fighter jet traffic now."

"Sounds like they've scrambled the fighters to deal with anything that might just pop up during FS-1's reentry. Hopefully all that traffic above will keep them blind to the traffic below," Nelson responded.

They all smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. Seaview was as silent as they came, but any additional help from above only increased their odds of finding that sub, and putting it out of commission.

(00l00)

Lee scrutinized the readouts and the view ahead of them, which showed an Earth getting larger by the second. He looked over at Chip. "Ready for this?"

"Yeah, what the hell. Don't think I'd want to try this in anything not designed by Nelson," Chip replied with a quick grin.

Crane reached over and toggled the radio. "FS-1 to Mission Control, do you read?"

"Copy FS-1, we read you." Majors replied.

"We will be entering the upper atmosphere in T-minus three minutes."

"We've got you FS-1. We estimate that you will be out of radio communication for six minutes and twenty-six seconds during the ionization blackout."

"Copy that Mission Control. Keep your ears on, and let us know if anything is in the way," Lee answered. "Be chatting with you soon, FS-1 out."

Lee looked behind him and made eye contact with Jamie, Kendal, and Agneta who were all belted into seats. Katarina had been relegated to the bunk at Jamie's insistence, and securely strapped in. "Everyone ready for the ride?"

Each person sounded off indicating they were ready for whatever came next. Lee looked over at Chip and smiled. "Well, here goes," he said as FS-1 began her descent into the upper reaches of Earth's stratosphere.

It felt as if they had slammed into a brick wall as the small vessel entered the atmosphere as it acted immediately to slow their progress as friction and gravity worked against the previously free moving ship. It sounded as though something was trying to batter its way in as they were buffeted about.

They all gripped the arms of their seats as they bounced and bounded about in the sky, passing through the levels of the atmosphere at Mach 25. They watched in wonder as the view from the front windows initially revealing the blue white world beneath them, began to change as they became covered in plasma during their reentry. The colors segued from yellow, to pink, to orange, to maroon as the flames generated by the friction of their passage washed over them and consumed the little craft as she hurtled towards the ground below.

Lee and Chip kept a steady eye on the chronometer counting down the minutes until radio contact would be restored, along with the other readouts on the vessel. As they passed into the lower stratosphere and began to slow they smiled at the hail from Mission Control.

"FS-1, this is Mission Control, do you copy?"

"Mission Control, this is FS-1, we copy," Lee responded. They all smiled as they heard the huge cheer go up in the control room as communications was reestablished.

"Welcome home, FS-1," Majors said. "We estimate your time of arrival at NAS North Island to be 59 minutes."

"We concur, Mission Control. Initiating turns to reduce speed."

(00l00)

"Admiral!" Ski called out. "Our blip just went active, sir. She's increased speed and starting to shallow up."

Nelson moved quickly to the sonar station and watched the image on the screen. "How far away is she?"

"Less the 10 miles now, sir," Ski reported. Suddenly his eyes went wide. "Admiral, they've opened their missile hatches."

"Damn it," Harri swore. "Ski, go active now. Mr. O'Brien bring us up to flank, course 287. Load all tubes and open outer doors."

"Aye, sir," O'Brien confirmed and quickly relayed the orders.

"Sparks get me an open channel to COMSUBPAC," Nelson ordered.

"On it, sir." Spark's fingers flew over the keyboard and dials establishing an almost immediate connection with Jiggs Starke. "I have Admiral Starke for you, sir."

"Jiggs, Nelson. We've found our sub, and they are preparing to launch their missiles, we're transmitting coordinates now. Get word to the fighters to be ready to react."

"Copy that Harri. You are authorized to engage the sub to the full extent of your capabilities," Starke replied. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Will do, Nelson out." Harri gave Bobby a quick nod. It was always nice having the government's sanction when attacking a foreign submarine. He shipped the mic and returned to Kowalski's side. "Range to target?"

"Five miles and closing. He's initiated evasive maneuvers."

"Sparks, get me that sub," Nelson commanded.

"Aye, sir." Sparks began running the frequencies trying to contact the enemy sub. "They are not answering our hail, sir."

"Are they listening?" Nelson asked.

"Yes, I believe so, sir," Sparks responded.

Harri walked over to the radio shack and picked up the mic. "Attention PR submarine, this is the SSRN Seaview. You are ordered to stand down and close your missile hatches or we will take actions to eliminate your threat. You have 10 seconds."

Sparks pressed his headphones to his ears listening for the slightest sound. He shook his head no. "No response, sir."

"So be it. Do you have a bearing on that sub, Kowalski?"

"Aye, sir," Ski replied.

"Mr. O'Brien match bearings and fire torpedoes one and two and reload," Nelson ordered.

"Yes, sir," Bobby replied. He keyed in the coordinates and grabbed the mic. "Missile Room, fire torpedoes one and two and reload."

"Firing torpedoes one and two," Sharkey replied and hit both buttons, sending the fish on their way. The sub shuddered a bit as her weapons were discharged.

"Torpedoes have acquired," Kowalski reported. "They've released countermeasures…. Torpedoes have lost the target. Damn it, they just fired their missiles, sir. Missile hatches closed, torpedo doors are being opened. Two torpedoes on their way dead ahead, they have acquired."

"Mr. O'Brien, release countermeasures, hard a starboard," Nelson ordered.

"Countermeasures away, sir. Helm, hard a starboard." Seaview instantly heeled over to the right as she answered the helmsman's command.

"Fire torpedoes three and four. Kowalski where are those fish?"

Bobby quickly relayed the message to fire two more torpedoes. Seaview trembled slightly as the second set of fish departed the sub.

"The torpedoes are just reaching the countermeasures, sir," Ski replied as he pushed his headphones closer around his ears listening to their progress. "They've lost us, sir. Our fish have acquired and are closing in on the enemy sub. Another batch of countermeasures in the water. Torpedoes have lost them… check that, the torpedoes have reacquired. I think we have them this time, Admiral."

"Hard to port, Mr. O'Brien. Put us on their tail, prepare to fire another round," Nelson commanded. "Sparks, inform COMSUBPAC that missiles are away and get me FS-1."

Seaview heeled over hard left and began to give chase. Kowalski called out distance and direction as the enemy sub tried to beat a hasty retreat.

"I have FS-1 for you, sir." Sparks called out.

"Lee, Nelson. You got two SUBSAMs heading your direction. The Navy has fighter aircraft already patrolling the area, so hopefully they can take them down, if not keep your eyes open, and be ready to react," Harri said. "We're on the heels of the bastards who fired them, and they _won't_ be getting away, I promise you."

"Copy that, Admiral," Lee responded. "Mission Control did you copy, Nelson's transmission?"

"Yes, we did, FS-1. We've jacked into the fighter radio traffic and will key you in as well," Majors replied.

As the conversation switched to the airborne hazard, Nelson indicated Sparks should take them out of the loop. He then refocused his attention on the submarine trying desperately to escape them.

"Status, Kowalski?" Nelson demanded.

"Our torpedoes are running hot and true, and gaining on the other sub. They've launched two sets of countermeasures and neither has worked," the sonar operator reported. "He's headed for the sea mounts ahead, sir. I think he's going to try and ditch our fish by using the terrain to scrape them off."

"That's about all he can do now," Nelson responded. "Status of torpedo tubes, Bobby?"

"All tubes are loaded and ready to fire," O'Brien answered. Nelson nodded his approval, then moved in behind Kowlaski to watch their adversary try and get away.

"Wow, he's getting close to the sea mounts," Ski said.

Then suddenly, the blip disappeared. That was followed by the detonation of both torpedoes that slammed into the same sea mount that claimed the PR submarine. The shockwave washed over them, rolling Seaview from side to side, but caused no damage.

Nelson ordered Seaview forward just to make sure the first explosion hadn't been some well-calculated trick by the other sub's commander. As they reached the area of impact, there was no doubt that the submarine had hit the mount rupturing her hull and sending the entire crew to the bottom of the Pacific. There was a substantial debris field and signs of a collision on the geologic outcrop in front of them.

"Well that's that," Nelson said quietly. "Mr. O'Brien, secure from battle stations. Sparks, see if you can get us a status on FS-1."

(00l00)

"Copy that on the missiles, Mission Control," Lee said, acknowledging the fact that there were two SUBSAMs with their name on it looking for a target. "All right, Chip, keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anything."

"Got you covered, Lee," Chip answered as he began scanning the area around them looking for anything that moved.

As Chip kept watch, Lee began maneuvering FS-1 more aggressively as he bled off speed so he could take active control over the little sub. He smiled a bit as they hit Mach 2. They were now within the physical maneuvering and control capabilities of FS-1, and he began slowing her down even more. He engaged the engines and began throttling back as he dropped them down to Mach 1.

They all listened intently to the exchange between the fighter jets that were out in front of them. They had located the missiles and were now attempting to lock on with their air to air missiles to take the PR SUBSAMs out.

"Mad Dog 1, I got one!" reported one of the Marine fighter pilots. "Those things weren't the least bit interested in our craft, they act like their programmed."

"FS-1, did you copy?" Majors asked.

"Affirmative, Mission Control. Where's the second one?" Lee responded tensely.

"Tracking shows it's 30 miles and closing on your position. My guess is that thing is tied directly to your craft some way."

"I was afraid of that," Lee answered. "Taking evasive maneuvers now. Hold on everyone, this is going to be anything but fun. Chip, do you think you could take it out with the laser?"

"I could try, but I think it will be moving too fast for me to get a lock," Chip replied.

Lee nodded and agreed with Chip's assessment. "Damn, she's fighting me for some reason," Lee said. "We must be really pushing her limits for her to be so sluggish."

"Lee! Port side, 11 o'clock!" Chip called out as he spotted the missile closing in on them.

"Got it!" Lee immediately pushed the control sticks down sending FS-1 into a steep dive, and watched in dismay as the weapon adjusted course as well. "Damn! That thing is locked on us. Okay, let's see if we can shake it off a bit."

He pulled back on the sticks and began a rapid climb slamming everyone deep into their seats as they felt the high G-force of the maneuver. As the missile reacted, Lee began making tight turns that slowly began to increase the distance between them, as the weapon was unable to react as quickly to the rapid changes in direction. Happy that he had given them enough of an advantage, Lee pushed forward on the sticks putting FS-1 in yet another steep dive.

"Everyone hold on, this one is going to be rough," Lee advised. As they lost altitude at an alarming rate, he suddenly eased back on the angle of descent and the rate of speed, slowing the little ship just enough to allow her to knife into the water in one piece and head quickly into the ocean depths.

The sudden change in momentum slammed them all forward, then they were jerked roughly back, as their harnesses kept them from crashing into the control panels and seats in front of them. They all gasped in pain and fought to regain their breath as Lee maintained the steep rate of descent.

"Brace yourselves," he called out. Seconds later there was a huge explosion as the missile impacted with the water's surface as it attempted to follow its assigned target.

FS-1 rocked and rolled as the turbulence of the blast washed over them. As the shockwave passed them, Lee eased up on the throttle and brought the little submarine to a stop. He blew out a relieved sigh, then quickly looked around him to make sure everything was holding tight.

"Is everyone okay?" Lee asked as he turned his seat to check on the others.

"I'm fine," Chip replied and then quickly began to peruse the gauges on the boat to ascertain their status.

Jamie gave them a thumb's up and smiled as he gently rubbed his sternum where the buckle to his harness had bit into his skin. Agneta nodded, and Katarina gave Lee an okay sign from the bunk.

"I'm okay, too," Kendal replied as she rubbed her chest as well. "I think I've just found out what it's like to be in the Jiffy Pop package though."

Lee laughed and nodded in agreement, then blew out a pent-up sigh as he slumped back in his seat. He reviewed all the read outs as well. "Looks like we're tight and dry," he said as he flashed Chip a relieved smile.

"FS-1, this is Seaview, do you read me?" Nelson's concerned voice rang out over the radio.

Lee reached over and toggled the mic. "Seaview, this is FS-1, we read you loud and clear." They all smiled as they heard the cheers in the background on Seaview and at Mission Control. "We are undamaged, uninjured, and quite ready to come home."

"Copy that FS-1," Harri replied, the relief in his voice clearly evident. "Well done, son. Well done to you all."

"Thank you, sir." Lee answered.

"FS-1, this is Mission Control."

"Go ahead Mission Control."

"Welcome back to Earth. Do you require assistance to return to shore?" Majors asked.

"I think we can make it, but if Seaview is in the general vicinity, I think we'd all prefer a ride home," Lee answered, then looked back over his shoulder and was greeted by a sea of confirming nods.

"Copy that FS-1. Did you read, Seaview?" Majors responded.

"This is Seaview, we are more than happy to pick up our wayward travelers and give them a lift home. FS-1, please transmit a locator signal." Lee flipped the switch activating the transponder. Seconds later they received Seaview's homing signal as well.

"We have you located, FS-1," Nelson acknowledged. "We should be on site in less than an hour."

"We'll start moving towards you as well, Seaview. I am quite ready to be home. FS-1 out."

Lee flipped off the radio, locked FS-1 on the homing beacon, then engaged the autopilot. "I suppose we should check on our cargo to see if it's still in one piece," he said as he unbuckled his harness and stood up.

He depressurized the moon pool well, then reached down, grabbed the handle and pulled the hatch open. He smiled wickedly as he saw feeble movement in the hold, as the prisoners reacted to the light. Both stared up in wide-eyed fear, the inside of their helmets containing much of their last meal.

"This is your captain speaking, let me be the first to welcome you back to Earth," Lee said. "Please remain in your seats until the vessel has come to a complete and final stop, and security arrives to take you to the brig. We thoroughly hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank you for flying NIMR Air." He received a round of laughter and applause from those aboard, then he dropped the hatch back in place and sealed it.

(00l00)


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Thirty minutes later, Seaview and FS-1 met up. Lee quickly maneuvered the little sub into its berth in Seaview's nose. As the retaining clamps pulled the sub securely into place and at the final clang of the bay doors closing, they all let out a collective sigh of relief. They were home.

Lee and Chip quickly powered off FS-1's systems then unbuckled their harnesses. Chip headed up the ladder and spun open the hatch as one of the ratings aboard Seaview did the same. As he saw the familiar face he just smiled, there was no way he could reign in the joy he felt at having made it back safe and sound.

As Chip was doing that, Lee assisted Kendal and Agneta out of their harnesses and helped them stand. It had been over six months since they had dealt with gravity, and it took them a minute or so to readjust. Jamie was already over at the bunk checking on Katarina and was thrilled to find she was none the worse for wear given their rather dramatic flight back.

Chip came back down the ladder and opened the aft hatch to allow the corpsmen in so they could claim the Space Station crew and take them to Sick Bay. As they entered, Jamie quickly took command and saw to it that Medrev was gently moved to the stretcher. He also indicated that Kendal and Agneta would be getting a ride as well since they needed to readjust to gravity again, and he wasn't going to take a chance of them falling on a walk down to Sick Bay. He indicated that everyone needed to make a stop in Sick Bay to get a clean bill of health.

"Fine, Jamie," Lee replied. "Chip and I will join you shortly."

"That works fine," Jamie answered. "I should be done about the time you're done with the admiral. Oh, and should you become lost, I will be sending out a stretcher team armed with restraints and orders to use them should you resist."

Chip and Lee scowled at him. "Yeah, we'll be there, don't worry. I don't think the admiral will let us skate out of that," Chip answered.

"You've got that right, Mr. Morton," came Nelson's disembodied voice through open top hatch. Unwilling to wait any longer for his men to emerge, he rapidly descended the ladder into FS-1. As he saw Kendal, Lee, Jamie, and Chip, a broad smile spread across his face.

He moved directly over to Kendal and extended his hand, which she gladly grasped. He pulled her gently into a welcoming embrace which she enthusiastically returned. "Welcome home, Kendal, it is so nice to have you back where you belong," Harri said and then grimaced at the technicolor bruising that was developing on her face.

"You can't believe how good it is to be back, Harri. Thank you so much for sending in the troops to rescue us. I know we wouldn't have made it back without NIMR's finest coming after us," she replied as she wrapped her second hand around Harri's and smiled as best she could.

"Think nothing of it, my dear. It would have been a difficult time keeping them on the ground if they even thought they could have made it," Harri replied as he shot a quick glance at his command team.

"All right, your turn, Kendal," Jamie interjected as Agneta was carried out of FS-1. "Your chariot has arrived, let's get you aboard and strapped in for the ride."

Kendal rolled her eyes then smiled. She would put up with just about anything right now, she was so thankful and excited to be back home.

As Jamie assisted Kendal, Harri turned to Lee and Chip. He extended his hand to Chip. "Well done, lad. You pulled off an incredible feat," he said as he pumped Chip's hand and patted him heartily on the back.

"Thank you, sir," Chip replied. "I'm just happy we were able to make it there and back."

Harri moved next to Lee and grabbed his hand. "Outstanding job, son. I don't think anyone but you could have drawn on all of FS-1's capabilities any better. That was some incredible flying."

"Thank you, sir," Lee responded and smiled at the exuberant greeting. "I'm just happy we were able to help. I'd keep a weathered eye on FS-1, I'm pretty sure the Navy will try and steal her away from us. She proved to be more than equal to the task assigned her."

"Oh, you can count on that, lad. I don't think I'll let them anywhere near her, or you and Chip. I won't give them any opportunity to steal you all away," Nelson replied and slung his arm over Lee's shoulder and gave him a heartfelt squeeze.

As Kendal was removed from FS-1, the Master at Arms poked his head in the aft hatch. "Are you ready for us to take custody of your prisoners, sir?" he asked Lee.

"More than ready," Lee replied. He bent down and grabbed the recessed handle to the hatch and pulled it up. The two men inside squinted against the sudden glare and scowled at the sea of faces staring down at them. "Get them out of here and in the brig. If they give you the slightest hint of trouble, I authorize you to use any force you deem necessary to render them complicit. Also, strip them down to their skivvies, and make sure they have no equipment, or other items on their person."

The burly MMA nodded and then he and his assistant grabbed the first man and pulled him out. The cramped quarters and inability to move for the last three hours, had put his legs to sleep and he slumped and nearly fell to the deck. He was herded out the hatch, passed off to two more members of the security team, while the MMA pulled the second man out who had a similar reaction.

"I think the PR will have a difficult time denying their responsibility with those two in our custody, and the video footage I captured of the inside of their capsule," Lee said as he watched the second man dragged out. Both Chip and Nelson nodded in agreement.

They then looked down at the rest of the cargo they had rescued from the Space Station. Chip knelt down and grabbed the handle on the larger module and nearly fell in when he tried to lift it. It was so heavy, he hadn't even budged it a bit. "Damn that thing is heavy," Chip said as he righted himself. "No wonder you said FS-1's handling was a bit off. She must have really been struggling to keep her load in the air."

"I think you're right. But my Baby gave it her all and brought us all back home safe and sound," Lee replied then reached out and patted her bulkhead fondly, eliciting a chuckle from the other two men. He blushed a bit and smiled in response.

"Well, I see no point in trying to move that thing out of FS-1 until we reach North Island. We'll just secure FS-1 and have a guard posted to prohibit unauthorized entry," Nelson said as he lowered the hatch to the moon pool. "I think our work here is done for the moment, and I believe you have an appointment with the good doctor."

Lee and Chip grimaced then smiled and nodded. "Aye, sir," Lee responded.

Nelson extended his hand towards the open aft hatch indicating that was the direction they were going. He wasn't going to give either of his workaholic command crew the opportunity to get lost in the Control Room or other parts as they checked out their boat, while studiously avoiding one specific section. "Gentlemen, if you will."

"Yes, sir," they both responded dejectedly, then headed out the aft hatch with the admiral in tow.

(00l00)

As the crew from the Space Station and FS-1 went through their medical evaluations, Nelson returned to his quarters and made contact with COMSUBPAC, Mission Control, and the CNO reporting on their status, and the status of their prisoners and cargo. O'Brien had command and had Seaview on track for their arrival at the Navy base.

Finally cleared for duty, despite the cracked rib from the errant speck of space debris he'd met up with on his return to FS-1, Lee happily trotted down the spiral staircase to check out his boat. As he stepped down into the Control Room, O'Brien called out "Captain on deck." All heads turned his direction acknowledging their skipper's return. Each man had a broad smile on his face as they quickly welcomed their captain back, then returned their attention to duty.

Lee smiled and walked over to O'Brien. "Status, Mr. O'Brien."

"Seaview is at 100%, and we are on course to NAS North Island. Our estimated time of arrival is one hour, sir," Bobby reported.

Lee nodded at the report. "Thank you, Bobby." He then did a quick tour of the Control Room briefly touching base with each man, thanking them for their support. As he returned to the chart table, he spotted Nelson and Chip coming down the steps and walked over to greet them.

"Come on into the nose, Lee," Nelson ordered. "I'll give you a quick download on the results of my calls."

"Yes, sir," Lee replied and followed them into the nose. He made a beeline for the coffee pot and poured them each a steaming cup then brought them to the table and doled them out. As he took his first sip in some time, he practically purred as the restorative brew raced down his throat. "Oh, that is sooooo good."

Chip likewise savored his, after having gone nearly 24 hours without a cup of the elixir of life, at least to Seaview's crew. Harri chuckled as he sipped on his cup, thinking maybe Jamie was right, they did drink way too much of the stuff.

"So, Admiral what's the news?" Lee asked.

"The CNO says that the President fully intends to press the issue and reveal the People's Republic's actions, and is preparing to request full UN sanctions against them in addition to demanding reparations be paid to all the nations impacted by their attempted piracy. I'm sure there are other activities behind the scenes taking place as well," Nelson began. "You're probably unaware of it, but this entire rescue following your lift-off for space, became a total media circus. Apparently, some amateur astronomers noticed the activity on the Space Station and it went viral pretty quickly. You are about to become media darlings for your daring rescue."

Both Chip and Lee grimaced at the thought of that one. "Any way to make us a State secret?" Chip inquired.

"No such luck, sorry," Harri replied. "That breach also pretty much undid all our attempts to locate the leak within the system, so they're back to square one with that."

"I'm sure not totally back to square one," Lee remarked, garnering a nod from Nelson.

"They have a few suspects, but with all the scrutiny of the program, the individuals will no doubt go dormant for quite a while. As far as the media circus, we are expected to make a very public return to San Diego. We'll be surfacing about 20 miles out and letting the media get all the pictures they want."

"Do we really have to play in this dog and pony show?" Lee asked as he sneered.

"We'll try to keep it to a minimum, but I don't think we'll have much luck. Tom Hardy is nearly beside himself because all this notoriety makes you almost useless to ONI. There are some good things that come with this," Nelson replied with a twinkle in his eye. Chip's face lit up as well.

Lee glared at them both. He wasn't about to let on that he was privately pleased with that information too, as he had begun thinking about retiring his decoder ring and black attire. There were now other pursuits demanding more of his attention.

"Excuse me, Admiral," O'Brien said, as he walked into the nose. "Sir, we are coming up on the 20-mile mark to port. Do you want us to surface the boat?"

"Yes, Bobby, make preparations to surface the boat. Okay gentlemen, go freshen up your make-up, it's time for your close up."

Lee suddenly got a mischievous glint in his eye as he pushed to his feet. "Excuse me for a moment Admiral, there's something I need to get. Go ahead and surface the boat, I'll be there very shortly." Lee turned around and hurried up the staircase.

"Oh, oh, that doesn't bode well," Chip joked, a worried look on his face.

"I have to agree with you there, Chip. When he gets that look in his eye, we're all in for it," Nelson replied as he pushed to his feet. He and Chip walked into the Control Room. "Mr. O'Brien, surface the boat."

"Aye, sir," Bobby acknowledged. He quickly issued the orders to surface the boat and Seaview gracefully eased her way to the surface. Once on top of the water, the hatches were opened and the deck watch hurried up the ladders to take their posts.

"Well shall we, Chip?"

"After you, sir."

Harri and Chip quickly climbed the ladder to take their positions on the bridge. They were almost immediately surrounded by news helicopters buzzing around like annoying flies, taking video of their approach to San Diego. As they drew closer, they were joined by Navy tugs and other pleasure craft there to welcome them home.

"What the hell is taking Lee so long?" Nelson wondered loudly. If he had to endure this circus, then his captain had to as well. As he was about to send one of the ratings down to turf him out of his cabin, he spotted Lee's dark, curly head emerging from the hatch.

"What took you so long?" Chip asked.

"Just had to get something from my cabin," Lee answered, the mischievous twinkle in his eye even brighter. "Permission to hoist the colors, Admiral."

Nelson looked at him quizzically, the US flag was already flying from the mast. As he was about to ask, Lee pulled out a roll of black fabric from the back of his waistband, then quickly unfurled it revealing it to be a black flag emblazoned with the pirate skull and crossbones, along with what looked to be some hastily applied decals consisting of two red bars, two white daggers, a lifebuoy, and a treasure chest**.

Nelson and Morton immediately burst into laughter, knowing full well the significance of the flag. "Oh, that is rubbing salt into their wounds," Nelson remarked, trying to school his amusement. "Permission granted. Chief Sharkey, hoist the colors."

Sharkey accepted the flag and then started chuckling as well. The black flag soon proudly flew beneath the Stars and Stripes, as Seaview gracefully entered the harbor and made her way to her berth and successful completion of their mission.

(00l00)

The next week was a flurry of activities consisting of medical exams for the entire space crew, multiple extensive debriefings with different government agencies, interviews with the media, and various social functions to welcome home and celebrate the heroes. It was non-stop action that left them all completely exhausted.

Finally released to return home, Nelson had the NIMR jet come down to San Diego to give them a ride home as Seaview has returned a few days earlier. FS-1 was in dry dock until they had the time to carefully go over the intrepid little submarine after her groundbreaking voyage. Once back in Santa Barbara, he instantly banished them all from the NIMR grounds for the next week, to ensure they took a little time to rest and relax after the hectic pace of events over the past week. Not even Lee was overly upset at that development, as he and Chip and received the lion's share of the debriefings and media interviews, and were barely able to keep their eyes open any more.

Later that first evening back, Lee and Kendal laid stretched out on Lee's bed watching the fire and enjoying each other's company after the long separation. The TV was on, but the sound off with closed captioning running at the bottom of the screen. At one point, there was a report on the situation with the US and PR, and they flashed a video of the Space Station crew with a close up of Bergdahl, and of Seaview pulling into port at NAS North Island with the Jolly Roger flying beneath the US flag.

"What's going to happen to Agneta?" Kendal asked quietly.

"I'm sure she will be doing some prison time somewhere, although she was the main reason the PR didn't get away with the experiments or destroy the Space Station. It's up to her country to take action. The sad thing is I heard her mother passed away early last week so it was all for nothing," Lee replied.

"I'm sorry to hear about her mother," Kendal replied. After a moment, she rubbed her hand over Lee's chest and he moaned softly. "I meant to ask you, what was the deal with the Jolly Roger? It seems like a really odd thing to be flying, especially given such a public arrival in port."

Lee chuckled softly. "It was just another dig at the PR, a little insult to injury."

"Huh? I don't get it," Kendal replied.

"In the submarine community, when you successfully complete a mission, you fly the Jolly Roger to indicate your success. The additions to the flag provide details on what was accomplished," Lee explained.

"Why the Jolly Roger and what kind of accomplishments?" she inquired further.

"My you're full of questions tonight," he kidded, kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight against him. "The Jolly Roger stems from a comment made about the Royal Navy Submarine Service in World War I. The head of the Royal Navy at the time, thought submarine warfare was underhanded and dirty pool, and said the Service was no better than pirates in how they ambushed unwary surface vessel traffic. The RNSS took that as a compliment and adopted the Jolly Roger to demonstrate their success when entering port."

"So, what about the additions to the flag?"

"I'm getting there," Lee chuckled as he ran his hand down her back. "The red bars indicate sinking enemy warships. I added two since we destroyed the capsule on the Space Station, and Seaview dispatched the PR submarine. The two white daggers are for covert actions and I loosely used those to mark the two prisoners we captured. The lifebuoy is for saving the Space Station crew, and the treasure chest is for taking the experiments they came for as our prize, leaving them empty handed and minus two ships and their crews."

Kendal smiled and then started to laugh. She pushed up on her elbow and looked down at Lee. "Very clever, Captain. You're always so full of surprises," she said then kissed him softly on the lips.

Lee reached over, grabbed the remote and shut off the TV, leaving the room bathed in the soft firelight. "Let me show you another surprise I've got just for you," he replied as he bounced his eyebrows then gently pushed her back down on the bed.

 **The End.**

I hope you enjoyed this departure from the normal mayhem the NIMR crew usually finds themselves subjected to. I thank you all for reading my tale and a very special thanks to those who took time to review and comment on my story. I truly appreciate your feedback as it helps me improve with each story and at times provides invaluable inspiration. - C.K.

** wiki/Use_of_the_Jolly_Roger_by_submarines


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